


I will unmake you

by Daniverse



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Bondage, M/M, Mild Gore, NSFW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-03 02:28:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21171932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daniverse/pseuds/Daniverse
Summary: "Someone take these to the armory. Hunter, I expect you cleaned up and healed in my chambers in under an hour. Ask a guard for Mercedes if you need her." He cracked his neck to one side, then the other as he turned his back on the man and began his walk back to his private chambers. The man got up, slowly, looking at the composed form of the King of Faerghus walking away from him."My name," he said, his shoulders heaving as he tried to keep upright around multiple broken ribs, "Is Felix Hugo, of Fraldarius. And I never intend to let you beat me in a fight again, beast." And with that, he collapsed from exhaustion.





	1. Chapter 1

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd was sneaking around the wooded outskirts deep in the Fraldarius territory, sniffing out a rat who had escaped notice for far too long.

Dimitri was a vampire, the King of a Nation, and currently doing very unnecessary legwork. Normally someone of his status would send a ward to do this kind of work, but a hunter, a human hunter of all things, had managed to evade detection now for the past five years. Something had masked him, perhaps the bitter cold, the various traps, yet Dimitri had doubts this human had been able to kill any of his emissaries. He had brought a close ward of his, Sylvain, just in case things went south. Just in case one hunter turned into twenty.

"Your highness, d'you see anything?"

Dimitri narrowed his eye, trying to focus in on any sudden movement. Nothing more than the usual creatures still awake in a bitter winter. He pulled his thick cloak close to his body reflexively, despite having no ability to feel the cold. Some ancient part of his brain told him to feel cold even though his body having been dead for centuries now. He heard a branch snap and signalled for Sylvain to stop.

Wordlessly, his ward pulled out a crossbow and trained it on a small bush. Another movement and he would fire. A small part of Dimitri hoped this would be over soon, he couldn't have any surviving hunters with the Old Knowledge necessary to kill vampires running around and threatening his kingdom. They both stood still, deadly still, waiting for movement.

Another movement. Sylvain fired the bolt and it bounced off something in the bush, uselessly. A bolt whirred out of the bush in response, both vampires dodging it with ease. "What?" Dimitri's eye widened as a figure arose, holding a glowing gold shield.

A hunter with a Hero's relic. Well, that explained one problem.

He was a good deal shorter than the two, his hair pulled back tightly in a small ponytail to keep it from his face. He was deathly pale and wore thick furs, large boots, and a dangerous looking grimace that made Dimitri release a deep growl from his throat. Sylvain gripped his own relic, eyes training on the other man.

"You're outnumbered. Come quietly and I'll make this quick."

For a human, he was fast. Not quite matching the speed of a trained vampire, but it was impressive. The shield snapped onto his arm and he withdrew a long blade, jumping in to attack Sylvain. His ward brought out his lance, blocking the blow and throwing him off. Dimitri stepped back and watched, Sylvain and the human trading blows, and felt his teeth clenching. Sylvain was toying with him. So typical, to play with his food. Sylvain let out a bark of a laugh as he swung the butt of his lance out, nearly hitting the human in the gut.

"Aww, really? This is the big scary hunter everyone in Fhirdiad is worried about?" He hooked his lance down in an arc, coming down on his left side. The shield came back and defended against the blow, pushing Sylvain back a step. They continued back and forth, until Sylvain switched to the business end of his own Hero's relic. His playful back and forth suddenly became more focused, more intense. A well timed blow hit the back of the shield, sending it careening out of the Hunter's grasp. As he dove for it, Sylvain flipped the lance to the staff end and jammed it hard into the Hunter's shoulder. The human dropped his blade, holding the injured area. Could be broken, it was tough for Dimitri to discern from his angle. He got up and put a hand out towards Sylvain.

"We're not killing him."

"Really? You're going to waste your time with this human?" Dimitri shot him a look and Sylvain's mouth snapped shut. He let the man run amok in his Manor, but this "talking back" thing got on his nerves. He cared deeply for his ward, but this was serious. Dimitri stepped between the two as the human grabbed his sword, holding it one handed. Dimitri quirked a brow.

"You don't think you'll be able to continue like this, do you?" The human bared his teeth and lunged, Dimitri grabbing his hand with his own gloved one and squeezing. The human was fast, but this was not a game to the King. He heard the familiar crack of bones, and the sword dropped again. "I am giving you a choice now. Come back to Fhirdiad quietly, or you come back over my shoulder."

"Third option, we just eat you." Sylvain gave a grin, his fangs glinting off scarce moonlight.

The human then proceeded to send a knee directly into the King of Faerghus' dick.

Dimitri stumbled and dropped him, the growl returning as a dangerous look crossed his eye. "The hard way, then." His voice rasped now, instead of the cool tone he had spoken with before. He reached a hand out with lightning speed, yanking the human back by his throat. He had to stay somewhat cognizant, or he would lose such a precious catch. The voices in his head rang out, beating against his mind like a drum.

_Eat him._

_Kill the boy before he can protest._

_Kill him before it spreads._

_Before they kill you. Before they kill Sylvain. Before they kill Dedue. Before they kill -_

His free hand goes to his head, biting back a scream to keep himself in the present. The human had the gall to lean forward and bite his hand, hard. His grip didn't falter. "Sylvain. Get the rope." His ward came to his side and yanked the arm with the broken shoulder back. The hunter let out a short, pained cry. Dimitri let go of the wrist once Sylvain had begun securing him, looking at the little crescents of blood along the heel of his wrist. That could have gone much worse. He reached down and picked up the shield, placing it on his own back as Sylvain hoisted their new prisoner over his shoulder.

They arrived back in Fhirdiad in short time, thanks to the availability of Pegasus riders he had stationed outside of the forest. The guards in front of his Manor nodded and bowed, welcoming Dimitri and his ward back into his home. It was spacious, too big for just himself. Luckily, he had several hundred wards living in the city alone. The building was hundreds of years older than Dimitri, sprawling with white marble and high raised ceilings. Truly a palace for a King. "Have Mercedes tend to the wounds. I want to be able to speak with him before daybreak." Sylvain nodded and left the human on the floor, his body convulsing in pain. And perhaps something else, it was tough to tell.

"An honest to the Goddess Fraldarius, with Rodrigue's shield. You're an interesting one." He mused mostly to himself, but suddenly the ragged breathing of the hunter became apparent.

"Filthy animal." Dimitri rolled his eye and turned to look down at the bloodied mess on the floor. It was nostalgic, in a way, to see a man a few beats from pure ferocity, covered in dirt and blood in front of him. He almost missed it. Driven by revenge, feeling nothing, murdering senselessly. Too little time to do that as a King.

"Are you related to him? Rodrigue?" The human didn't answer. Dimitri licked his lips, deciding to test other Fraldarius names he knew. "Glenn?"

"Don't say his name to me, you shit. You don't deserve to." His pupils were practically dots in his eyes, his teeth clenched hard. So he knew him. Glenn had died about five years ago in a raid, senselessly. He had been caught alone and was unable to regenerate. Such a shame, Glenn had been such a faithful ward. Rodrigue served well, but it was not the same.

Sylvain walked in with Mercedes, getting to her knees and gently placing the human's head in her lap. "My my. Who is he?"

"I do not know. A Fraldarius, I would hazard. He could carry a Hero's Relic without turning into a beast." He placed the shield down against a wall, summoning a guard to take it to his armory. All the while the Fraldarius followed the shield with those hungry eyes. Mercedes hands began to glow softly, holding his shoulder firmly to make sure the bones glued back together in the right spot. His arms were kept bound, even though Mercedes seemed upset about having to fix his wrist in that way. She propped his head up on her chest and straightened the arm out as much as she could behind him to continue the healing process. Sylvain crossed the chamber to Dimitri and spoke in hushed times.

"Since when are Fraldariuses hunters?"

"I don't know," Dimitri was puzzled. "He seemed to know Glenn." Sylvain showed some degree of surprise. Glenn had only been serving Dimitri for ten years, and had been dead for the last five. It was plausible that they knew each other, or were cousins in some fashion. But judging by the Hunter's age, he would have only known him for such a short time, eight years at most. Almost nothing.

"Is Rodrigue around? Maybe this kid is his bastard, or nephew or something. Even then, how'd he get the shield?" Dimitri had no answers. Mercedes interrupted them as she got up, helping the hunter to his feet. She was too nice. Dimitri dismissed her and he made his way back to face the human. He was over a head taller than him, so he craned his neck down to look at the fierce little man.

"What is your name."

"None of your business, boar." Something about the way this human spoke to him made his stomach drop. He swallowed hard and clenched his fist.

"You will be dead by morning if you do not comply with demands, human. I am being courteous -"

"Bullshit. You didn't fight me fairly." Dimitri rose a brow at that. He should not have had to fight him in the first place.

"I challenge you to a duel. No Hero's Relics. Fight me fair and square, boar. I'll tell you everything."

An interesting proposition. Dimitri thought on it and nodded. "I accept. If I lose, I will let you go free with your shield." Sylvain was about to interject, but Dimitri held up a hand to stop him. "If I win, you tell me everything. Who you are, who you know, who else you were working with out there. How you have evaded us for this long."

"Deal."

Dimitri had a training ground cleared for them and stocked with various items from his armory. The human had been allowed to keep his weapon, a long, thin sword that looked through be made of silver. Dimitri grimaced at the thought of suffering a wound from such a weapon. Silver was poison to vampire skin, and would burn on top of slicing through him. He wasn't surprised a skilled vampire hunter knew this, but had wished they had taken that from him when he was brought in. Oh well, he would just have to be smart. The king made his way to one side of the grounds, allowing the human about twenty paces. His hand rested on the pommel of the sword at his waist. Without a Hero's Relic, how did he dream of facing him?

Dimitri waited three beats. The human made no move. He grabbed an iron lance from the rack and then took off. He moved fast despite his armor and thick cloak, a speed unlike any a human could achieve. The hunter blocked the hit as he had with Sylvain, throwing him back and taking a swing of his own. Dimitri blocked and moved the lance straight down, aiming to have at the ankles. His target jumped back, but faltered. Dimitri took his chance and rushed in, slamming an elbow into the human's gut. The contact launched him back across the grounds, throwing him into his back several feet away. When it came to strength, the house of Blaiddyd was unmatched.

The human took a few labored breaths and stood back up, readying his weapon again. Dimitri dove back in and swung down in a wide arc, this time being met with a small dagger out of the human's sleeve. It sliced at his knuckles and burned to the touch. The hunter now held the silver dagger in one hand, the silver sword in the other. The skin blistered as it began to heal, slowly. Vampires possessed rapid regeneration of body and tissue, but silver wounds took significantly longer to heal. His lip raised in a snarl as the two continued their back and forth. Dimitri let out a roar and brought down the lance, knocking the hunter back onto the ground. He stabbed it next to his head, leaning down slowly so their faces were inches apart. The human was breathing ragged breaths, while Dimitri seemed unphased. He pushed both of his visible weapons out of arm's reach and took a fistful of the man's hair, bringing them so close their noses touched.

"Fair enough for you?"

"Fuck you." Dimitri threw his head back, perhaps a little too hard as it hit the ground beneath them. He got up and slid the weapons to the side with his feet. No need to continue burning his hands now that he had already won.

"Someone take these to the armory. Hunter, I expect you cleaned up and healed in my chambers in under an hour. Ask a guard for Mercedes if you need her." He cracked his neck to one side, then the other as he turned his back on the man and began his walk back to his private chambers. The man got up, slowly, looking at the composed form of the King of Faerghus walking away from him.

"My name," he said, his shoulders heaving as he tried to keep upright around multiple broken ribs, "Is Felix Hugo, of Fraldarius. And I never intend to let you beat me in a fight again, beast." And with that, he collapsed from exhaustion.

In just under an hour, as commanded by Dimitri, Felix Hugo Fraldarius arrived in his chambers. He motioned for him to sit, but Felix refused. Dimitri simply shrugged and took a sip of his tea. "It is four spice blend. I know how Fraldariuses are with spice." He sat down and swiped the tea pot, pouring himself a cup. He made no move to speak first, so Dimitri gave a sigh and began to prod him.

"How do you know Rodrigue? And Glenn?"

Felix glowered at him over the tea cup and took a sip. "I was told Rodrigue was my father." Ah, he was a bastard then. "Glenn would visit my mother and I as a child. Told me he was my brother." Felix broke eye contact at this admission, his hands tight around the cup. "My mother was a hunter. She trained me." Well that was interesting news to learn. He would certainly have to summon Rodrigue down to discuss this further with him.

"And the relic?"

"I stole it." Dimitri took a long sip and shook his head. Rodrigue had been insistent on keeping the Aeigis shield at his home, within the Fraldarius Manor. He had never mentioned it going missing. "My mother was worried about me using it, but I never had a problem. Once we pieced two and two together, we left town." This woman, who one of his closest advisors had slept with on a whim, was a vampire hunter who bore a child with the Fraldarius crest, who had just been left alone for years.

"And what about the wards I sent to find you?" Felix rolled his eyes and pushed a piece of hair from his face.

"I injured enough of them that they knew to stay away. The woods are filled with beasts just as dangerous, if not moreso than me." He leveled his gaze back on Dimitri. "That didn't stop you animals from killing my mother." Dimitri sighed and shook his head.

"I apologize, Felix. Had I known about any of this, you would not have had to suffer any hardship out there."

"But I did." He bites back. "What, you think if I had been raised like Father wanted, you would have had one less headache?" His tone was acidic as he put the finished cup down and got up, hands white knuckled on the chair. "You fucking blood suckers are all the same. Humans are nothing more than cattle to you." Dimitri took another sip of his tea, folding his legs.

"You will never defeat me as a human."

Those words made Felix freeze in his tracks. He likely knew it was true. The added strength, speed, and regeneration that came with being a vampire had no equal. "I could teach you," Dimitri continued. "Your strength could be nigh unparalleled. You already have significant strength as a human." Felix gave a short laugh.

"What, to fight in your neverending wars?"

"In what way did you anticipate your war ending with a vampire culture that runs the entire nation?" A war with only one person on his side, Dimitri's question seemed to add. He got up as well, placing a hand on Felix's shoulder. "If you desired to never pick up a weapon again, I would let you. But a Fraldarius, no, a citizen of Faerghus rarely chooses a life of luxury over one of blood and war. Felix, let me train you. Please."

The words hung in the air and the man under Dimitri's grip felt like stone. The air in the room chilled around him. "I can only kill you if I become stronger." A pause. Dimitri didn't budge. Felix weighed his decision, then looked the man, his King, in the eyes. "Then do it." Dimitri didn't hesitate as he ripped the turtleneck the other man was wearing down to his shoulder, bared his fangs, and sunk them into the milky white skin waiting for him. When a vampire usually fed, they would avoid drinking all of the blood in a victim's body by letting blood spill, or spitting blood out. Dimitri's bite did not falter as he drank every last drop of Felix's blood. The smaller man's frame spasmed, gripping the furs of Dimitri's cloak before falling limp by his side. The seconds dragged on before there was nothing left, not a single drop of blood left in his body. Dimitri let Felix fall into his arms, holding him tight as the poison of vampirism took hold of his mind, his heart, his bones. The body convulsed in his arms, and Dimitri shouted to a guard waiting by his door.

"Get a body! I do not care who, we need one now." The guard left, coming back up with a prisoner. The man stumbled into the room, shackled and filthy. Dimitri waited until he felt Felix stir in his arms, then released him. The brown-red hue of his eyes were replaced with a brilliant golden yellow, and were filled with an insatiable hunger. "Keep him alive. Drink as much as you need, but do not drink it all. Break skin, either let it spill or spit, then drink." The prisoner, upon hearing these words, started to get up to run. Most common folk were not aware their king was a vampire, otherwise there would be no humans left in the kingdom. Sure, he was an eccentric man who rarely came out in the day, but he was their king.

Felix did not hesitate. He moved with breakneck speed, gripping the man too hard in his hands, yanking his head back and sinking newly-grown fangs into the flesh. Skin broke, blood dripped down the man's body as he tried to scream. Felix made no pause and drank hungrily. Dimitri simply folded his arms and watched his new ward feed for the first time. He would have to teach him how to curb his strength, otherwise he would kill his food every time before feeding. Felix slid the corpse across the floor, breathing hard as he wiped his face with the arm of his coat.

"That was disgusting."

"You killed him first. Be more careful. And to be fair, you would probably be better off looking for someone who was not kept in poor conditions, but I know a fledgling's first hunger is ravenous." Dimitri spoke with the knowledge of having done this hundreds of times. Felix seemed stuck on the fact that simply pulling too hard on the man's head had snapped his neck and killed him. Perhaps this new power was exactly what he needed. Dimitri cleared his throat to catch the man's attention.

"You will likely need to feed a little more than usual, try to be discreet. If you like, Sylvain can show you how he usually goes about feeding. Once you are more accustomed to your body, you should try to only feed once every three days. I am running a kingdom here, not a buffet."

Felix tried to listen, since it sounded like Dimitri was trying to give him useful advice, but his mind seemed to wander. Dimitri interrupted his thoughts as he walked over and rubbed at some of the spilled blood on his face, like a mother cleaning the food from her child's face. "I understand this is a lot for you. If you have any questions, please let me know. I am your sire now, and you are my ward." That seemed to stoke something in Felix, as he grabbed Dimitri's outstretched hand and squeezed hard, crushing the bones in his wrist. Dimitri hissed and yanked his hand back, stretching the hand as his bones and nerves rewired themselves. "At some point, I'll have to teach you not to do that."

"Fuck you. You gave me this power, and I intend to use it to kill you." Felix still spoke with an icy tone, but it did not sound quite as desperate or feral as it once had. His tongue flicked out to try to get at any blood that Dimitri had rubbed away, breaking eye contact. Dimitri rolled his eyes and sighed. He shouldn't have been surprised that a petulant hunter would still be a petulant vampire. Hopefully those Loyal Until It Was Time To Complain Fraldarius genes would kick in and he wouldn't have to deal with curses being flung about constantly when he made typical requests of him.

"Get some sleep, the sun is coming up. I'll have a guard show you to your quarters." With that, Felix left and Dimitri was alone again. He was filled with the soft thrumming of fresh blood in his system, but that would not be what kept him awake for the rest of the day. He made his way to a chair he kept by his bed for days like this, days where his mind ran too quickly for him to even think of trying to sleep. He pulled a small notebook from the table by his bed and began to scribble down the various things on his mind, not wanting to lose a precious scrap of it.

First, he needed to summon Rodrigue from Fraldarius and have a very stern talking to him. That would likely take a few days travel, since he rarely kept fliers on his lands. Then, he would have to get to work on various international meetings and hammer out what their plan was. He kept these notes brief; not that he feared anyone would steal his war notes from his bedside table, but it made him nervous to be so open outside of his own mind. Sylvain could spend time with Felix over the next few days, getting him adjusted to fledgling life as a vampire and teach him how to hunt, about basic skills, and how to move about town properly. In the meantime, he had to get back to business. A couple days of hunting down a vampire hunter was all well and good, but a Kingdom needs its King.

Once he was satisfied with his notes, he got up and drew the curtains to hide the full light of the sun from his darkened chambers. Despite being a vampire now for about 400 years, give or take, he very frequently would see the sun rise. He could no longer watch it without getting a searing headache, but from the corners of his eyes he could watch the light, baby blues mix with the orange of the rising sun. A part of him was a little eager to hear Sylvain's reports at the end of the next few days about his little fledgling learning how to be a vampire, it had been some time since he had brought in a new ward. Knowing Sylvain, he would likely get on Felix's nerves quite a bit. The thought made him stifle a chuckle into the back of his hand. Ah, to have a young, hot blooded Fraldarius in the Blaiddyd Manor again. Glenn had not been quite so fiesty as Felix seemed to be, but the bite was all the same.

He tried not to be so excited by the thought: he had work to do, court cases to review, bills posed by the houses of Commons and Lords alike. To let his mind drift to thoughts of Felix trying to trick a young man or woman out of a bar to feed on them, getting all flustered and upset, it was like eating dessert before dinner. How would he be able to focus while his mind ran about thinking such vapid thoughts? Hopefully he would get it all out of the way now while his other advisors and wards slept peacefully. He could snicker to himself about Sylvain getting slapped for the hundredth time by some upset dancer in a brothel as he tried to show Felix the proper way to seduce someone into letting them feed all day, but had to act like a King once the sun set.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvain teaches Felix some vampire lifehacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A decent amount of vampire lore here is inspired by @baph0meat's quest, Trashy Vampire Romance Novel!

Felix awoke to his head pounding and a strong hunger he had never felt before yesterday.

In his personal quest to eventually murder the King of Faerghus for being a shitty, shitty vampire, he had hastily agreed to becoming a shitty, shitty vampire himself. It had been so obvious in his little play fight with Sylvain in the woods and with Dimitri on the training grounds that he would never get even marginally close to killing him without the additional power afforded to him by just being a vampire. It made his stomach feel hollow, but it needed to be done. He had been told that Sylvain would be taking him around tonight, and while he would strongly have preferred to stay in and train until he couldn't walk, he would rather fill the deep hunger that was quickly making it hard to think straight. He made his way down the halls and knocked on a door, hearing a gasp and something falling on the floor. "Uh, give me a second."

Great.

Felix tapped his foot angrily and counted the seconds in his head a little too fast. Sylvain opened the door just enough to let himself out, closing it behind him quickly. He eyed the man in front of him and gave a surprised smirk. "His highness has such a soft spot. Lucky bastard." Felix had no idea what this too-tall man was talking about as he walked right past him.

"I was told you would be taking me out to show me how to feed. Let's go."

"Hold your horses," Sylvain rolled his eyes and jogged up to meet Felix, cutting him off. "You don't want to, like, talk about any of this?"

"No." He pushed the other man aside and tried to continue walking, but Sylvain held fast.

"One, you're going the wrong way, unless you intend to get out of here by jumping out of the library window." Felix felt his face heat up from embarrassment as he looked away. "Two, chill. I promise we'll get you some food, I just want to get a handle on what his highness has talked to you about already."

Felix gave in, sharing the few pieces of information he had already learned. Sylvain folded his arms and nodded along. "Okay, so you can feed once a day if you are craving it, but are down to once every three days like the rest of us. Also don't try to eat regular food anymore, our bodies can't process it. We can still drink, though." A dangerous grin graced Sylvain's face as Felix rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Can we go now?"

"Sure thing, doll. Follow me." Felix felt his brain go absolutely haywire at the pet name, but realized he no longer had any of his weapons on hand. All of his weapons seemed to be missing, from the dagger that he had inlaid in his boot, to the whip he kept under his belt, even a few thin throwing needles were completely gone. He settled for grumbling to himself and following Sylvain out and around the manor. "I know you have questions, so fire away while we walk."

"All right … what can't I do now?" Sylvain gave a laugh and looked outward, eyes trained on his favorite bar in the city. It was a walk, but they had time.

"Can't use mirrors anymore. If that's a problem, his highness has attendants who can help you with whatever you need. Can't go swimming, running water does something to our brains. Just makes us freeze up. Can't eat regular food, which I said already. And obviously, can't kill anyone in broad daylight. Though I hope you weren't doing that before." He laughed again, keeping his eyes trained forward. "Oh, can't go too long without feeding. You'll heal slower, feel weaker, and you'll go a little stir crazy too. It's just not worth it."

Felix felt a pit growing in his stomach. He had been so starving when Dimitri had turned him, he didn't even think about the fact that he had murdered a human for no reason other than hunger. It felt wrong, but there was no other option now. If Felix wanted to get stronger, he had to feed and kill humans. "Okay, so … how does Faerghus have humans in it when their king is a vampire?"

Sylvain turned around and planted his hands on his hips. "You lived here your whole life, yet you didn't up and leave, right? Plus, pretty much every major source of power is a vamp. Emperor Edelgard, Lord Claude, all of em. Whether people realize it or not, that's just the way of the world." Felix couldn't argue with that. Sylvain turned back around, Felix making sure to keep pace with him.

"I have … another question. After I fed, I was overwhelmed with … a desire that I am not comfortable sharing in public." Sylvain's grin practically reached his eyes as he looked to the fledgling vampire next to him.

"That is just how it goes. When you feed, you get a little wild, and that can cause the body to want to indulge a little more than you may have been used to back to when you were warm blooded. You'll find a few ways to deal with it, don't worry sweetheart." Another crude petname. Felix clenched and unclenched his fists.

"If you don't want me to knock your head off, cut it off with the names." Sylvain just laughed and gave him a slap on the back.

"I'll try, for you." He threw Felix a wink, which made Felix want to wring this man's neck. Luckily, they had just reached the bar that Sylvain had been walking them to. "Okay, so try to watch and take in what I do here. Something tells me we'll go about this in different ways, but just catch my drift, mmkay?" Felix nodded as they both entered the bar and were greeted by raucous noise and live music.

Felix found everything was too loud for his new, hypersensitive hearing, and kept himself to the furthest outreaches of the bar. Sylvain, fully unaffected by the change in noise, waltzed into the bar and scanned around for potential feeding options. His eyes landed on a larger man, looking grim and drumming his fingers insistently on the bar. Sylvain slid in next to him and hailed the bartender over. "A straight vodka for me, and another of whatever my friend is having here." The man looked up, broken from his daze, and met eyes with Sylvain.

"Oh," he had a gruff voice, which Felix heard perfectly from all the way across the bar. "Thank you, sir. Can I have your name?"

"Just call me Jose. I was hoping I could figure out what has you looking so glum." The man's face drooped back to its previous frown as he turned away to grab the drink that had been ordered for him.

"Another argument with the Missus. We've been … struggling to have a child now for months. I am starting to think she may try to find another man who can truly give her what she wants." He brought the drink to his mouth and downed it without hesitation. Sylvain crossed his legs and frowned, taking a long swig of his vodka.

"That's rough. What're you going to do, then? Just drink here? Certainly won't get your wife pregnant any time soon." The man slammed his drink down and glared at Sylvain, who put his hands up in defense. "Easy, bud, I'm only saying the same thing you're thinking. Don't shoot the messenger here." The man was shaking, and Felix was sure Sylvain was about to get decked, but he instead burst into tears. Sylvain pulled him in for a tight hug.

"I have never felt so worthless as a man in my life … the look in her eyes of disappointment when the doctor told her … I don't think I can return home to her. Not tonight." Sylvain nodded and helped him up.

"Come on buddy, let's get you a little fresh air." The man nodded as they both left through the back door, Felix moving quick to follow them. As soon as the door opened, he found Sylvain's mouth around the larger man's throat, a few spots of blood dripping on the ground. Unlike Felix's kill from yesterday, this man was still huffing out shallow breaths while Sylvain fed. Once he was done, he scooped the man up and tossed him in the dumpster in the back with relative ease.

"Got any questions?"

Felix rolled his eyes. "No, that all seemed pretty clear to me. Trick someone into leaving the bar, then feed." Sylvain responded with a shrug.

"Your turn, Fe. I'll stick around out here for a while."

Felix nodded and went back in, leaning against the back door and trying to scan the crowd like Sylvain had. His eyes fell on a woman sitting by herself at a table, a rather imposing bottle of whiskey in front of her and a shot glass in hand. Felix took a deep breath and took a seat across from her. "Mind if I take a shot?" The woman gave him a look and shrugged, pouring him a rather generous amount.

"What for? You win some inheritance?" He downed the shot all at once, feeling his head swim. Thank the goddess he could still drink.

"Something like that. My father decided after twenty two years, that I was worth inviting back home now that my brother is dead from the war." The woman made a grimace and poured him another shot, pouring herself one as well. "What about you?"

"Oh, I was just accepted into the Fhirdiad magic academy. Came here expecting to meet other new students and no one came along, so it's just me and the whiskey tonight." She downed her shot and made a face. Felix licked his lips and tried to stir up enough confidence to pretend to come onto this woman after one shot.

"I'm … I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, you look lovely." He felt his face heat up and he looked away from her, pouring himself another shot and downing it immediately. She leaned forward, exposing a healthy amount of her chest. Felix felt his face grow hotter by the second.

" I'd say you're quite dashing yourself." Felix dared himself to look back as she placed a hand on his thigh. It seemed like he wouldn't have to worry about making the first move, at least. "If you really think so, go buy us a room upstairs from the barkeep." She snatched the whiskey back up and gave a cheeky grin. "Otherwise, I'd say you're like every other fool in this bar who is only here to steal my drink." Unfortunately, Felix didn't have any money. He tried to think fast and ignore the warmth of her human hand on his leg as she started taking swigs straight from the bottle.

"I am more than willing to break in my new quarters in the manor I am now allowed into, if you wouldn't mind taking a walk." She gave a giggle and got up, offering her hand. He took it and led her to the back of the bar. So close, he only had to get to the door. She pulled herself in close to him, getting a faceful of the various furs on Felix's coat.

"Mm, you smell like spices." His legs felt like jelly and he could not be more excited to kill this woman and be over with this. He pushed the door open and she closed it behind them, wrapping her arms around his neck and going in for a kiss. He pulled back and grabbed hold of the back of her head, a little too tightly for it to be seen as a mistake. Her eyes widened as he clenched his own, sinking his fangs in and drinking in fast. He could still feel her breathing as she clawed weakly against him, the blood trickling down her front. Once he felt full, he dropped the woman and finally saw Sylvain in the corner of his eye. He looked down at the woman at Felix's feet and stuck his lower lip out in protest.

"Man, I missed that beauty? You're a natural, Fe. Didn't even need me to come save you."

"Shut up." He picked up the woman's body and dumped it in the same place Sylvain had dumped his. "Let's leave already." Sylvain just laughed and walked along with him.

"Now that you're all full, I need to figure out what your power is."

"My what?" Sylvain pulled Felix into a dark alley, shielding them from outside view.

"Vampires have a host of different things we can do, not just things we can't. We can shapeshift, some people have different psychic abilities, some are just crazy strong like his Highness. Dima - er, his Highness asked me to see what yours may be." Felix quirked a brow at this. He had remembered stories his mother would tell, of snakes in the forests of Fraldarius that may be vampires in disguise, to avoid flocks of crows, ravens, or rats in the night. She had told him to never look a vampire in the eyes, because they can read your mind and steal your dreams. He had never considered he could just start doing that.

"So I am specially attuned to shapeshifting. As far as I know, his Highness has heightened strength. But that sort of thing is hard to tell, since his House is sort of infamous for being crazy strong." Felix felt his mouth go dry. All of this information was starting to make his head hurt, the thrum of fresh blood making his ears ring. Sylvain noticed him starting to drift and gave his shoulder a little shake. "Hey, Fe? Come on back, bud." He took a deep breath to fill lungs that no longer worked.

"Sorry. How do I figure out which one I am?" Sylvain offered a smile and placed a second hand on his shoulder. Felix couldn't put into words what he thought about about Sylvain. He seemed genuine, but at the same time the whole thing felt like an act. It was as if he was honestly a con artist, and something about that set Felix's teeth a little on edge.

"Well, since I am good at shifting, let's see if we can walk through that." Felix gave a nod and let Sylvain continue. "So, vamps are pretty well known for shifting into bats. They're small, they can fly, you usually see them at night. Pretty inconspicuous, right? So here's how you do it." He closed his eyes and licked his lips, his brow crinkling in thought.

"Picture exactly how a bat looks. Height, face, feet, wings. Draw yourself a bat in your mind, then just … push your mind into the picture." There was a silence as Felix shut his eyes, trying to visualize what was painted before him. A pause, then nothing. He shook his head and frowned.

"No, I don't think I can do that." He felt stupid, maybe this was some kind of joke that vampires pulled on each other. Why in the world did he think this was real? He was ready to get mad at Sylvain when he snapped his fingers.

"New approach. What's your favorite animal?" Felix searched his mind for a good answer, feeling a touch embarrassed when he spoke up.

"... Cats."

"Okay! Then try the same thing but with a cat. Picture the eyes, the ears, the tail, and then just … push your thoughts into the picture." Felix scrunched his brow hard, his mind focusing on the picture of a little black cat. A cat with narrow, shifting eyes, darting about in the shadows. Suddenly, Sylvain was a giant over him, grinning wide. "See? Easy!" Felix looked down to see little kitty feet below him, and plopped down as he spotted a tail behind him. This was all a lot to take in.

_How did I … what?_

His mouth didn't move when he talked, but his thoughts were projected into Sylvain's mind, who responded with a laugh and scooped him into his arms. Felix cat screeched and leapt from his arms, clawing out of his reach.

_How do I change back?_

"Oh, just stop thinking you're a cat. Tell yourself you're Felix again." And in that moment, the little black cat instantly became Felix again, leaving him sitting on the ground and feeling very confused. Sylvain was laughing hysterically, leaning against the wall for support. Felix gave a snarl and yanked at Sylvain's ankle, causing him to slip into a sitting position next to him.

"Okay, so I can do that." Felix said. Sylvain nodded.

"Most vampires can change into one or two things. Someone who specializes in shapeshifting can turn into all sorts of things." He closed his eyes and seemed to morph before Felix's eyes. His hair turned colors, his shoulders grew wider, his face shifted in front of him like ripped like a rock thrown into a lake. Felix felt his heart physically escape his body when he found himself looking directly at the face of his dead brother.

On impulse, he sent a fist directly into the Not Glenn's face, breaking Sylvain's nose and the shift altogether. Shock had been immediately replaced by indescribable rage, and Felix felt every part of his body burn with anger.

"Never do that again or I'll kill you." Sylvain gave a nasally apology as he cracked his nose back into place, looking rather distressed. Felix already knew he had some level of vampire strength, but did not know if it was especially strong, or whatever Sylvain was trying to say.

"I'm going to just tell his Highness you have an affinity in strength like he does, so he'll have better tips on training you." Felix sort of wished he hadn't just decked the guy trying to teach him vampire lore, but there was no changing it now. Sylvain swiped at the blood that trickled from his nose, giving it a lick and grimacing. "Never as good the second time. Come on, let's head back." They began their walk back to the manor as the information seemed to weigh Felix down like bricks.

"How … how old are you?"

"I was turned about fifteen years ago, when I was eighteen. Goddess, what a crazy thing to say out loud." He shook his head and looked at his feet. "I don't think about life in human years much anymore, since I don't exactly look thirty-three." Felix was shocked. He was in his twenties, it was surprising to think Sylvain was older than him.

"And the King?"

"Oh, uh … probably like four hundred ish?" He shrugged, stopping as he noticed Felix stop dead. Vampires are immortal, it shouldn't be surprising that one of them is going to be hundreds of years old. A thought crossed his mind.

"How would people not realize their king is four hundred years old?"

Sylvain blew his hair out of his face and folded his hands behind his head. "His Highness only became king a few years ago. His father was king before him, and was assassinated. Supposedly, Kings keep a vassal of direct blood line in secret, so when they die, the next of kin can step in without worry."

"And don't people realize when they have had the same king for, I don't know, eighty years and he looks the same?"

Sylvain lowered his voice, making sure his next sentence would only be heard between the two of them. "Most Kings don't get to experience that. If they do, they just start adding 'the second' or 'the third' to the end of their name. Plus, people don't typically see the king other than like, artist's renditions."

He figured some basic shapeshifting could make a vampire look older, even though they were immortal. And if a kingdom has a rule of the King keeping secret children, it would be easy to show up and declare you were next in line. It made Felix a little dizzy to consider, but it seemed sensible enough.

"Before his Highness became king, he acted as a high ranking Lord. Since his father died, he's now the head of his House, along with all other Houses in Faerghus. Galatea, Gautier, Fraldarius, y'know. And when the previous king died, Dimitri got all of those wards his father had turned too." Sylvain's look was pensive now, giving a simple nod of his head as he motioned to the guard while they entered the Manor. "My dad was the one who turned me. Since my dad was turned by the previous king, His Highness is now his sire. Which makes him mine too, just indirectly. It's all pretty confusing." They walked the manor grounds, various greeneries bathed in moonlight.

Felix was an odd mix of exhausted and exhilarated. He wanted to train, to get out some of his excess energy, but he also felt heavy with all of the information Sylvain had given him. "His Highness was the one who turned me." He was already getting into the habit of calling Dimitri that, and he did not enjoy it.

"Hot."

"You are revolting." Felix rolled his eyes, trying to will his face to not get too hot. "How would I know if I am one of those, er. Psychic vampires?"

"His Highness will suss it out. He has a good nose about those things." With that, Sylvain gave him a wave and headed off, Felix now realizing he was back in front of Dimitri's chambers. He swallowed and knocked on the door, before deciding to just enter anyway. Dimitri looked up from a desk, closing a folder of sheets and offering Felix a smile.

"Ah! Welcome back, Felix. Please, take a seat. I'd love to know how everything went." He considered being indignant, but there was nothing to gain by being mean when he had entered the King's room. He sort of expected to give him some sort of report of what had happened. He sat, going over everything while Dimitri hummed in response. He took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"How do I know what … specialty I have?" Dimitri turned to face him.

"Sylvain tried to shift with you? I've always been dreadful at it." Felix nodded, wisely choosing not to divulge that Sylvain had also picked him up and cradled him while he was a cat. "I'll bring you to the grounds and give you a couple different tests I've developed. Come on now." Felix got up without hesitation. Once again, the desire to actually do the thing the King was suggesting overpowered his desire to be a dick to him.

"Can I have my sword back?" Dimitri shook his head, interrupting before Felix could protest.

"Your skin is likely far too sensitive to hold the sword, even with thick gloves. You can practice, but it will probably be a few years before you can hold silver comfortably again." Years. Felix tried not to groan at the thought. It constantly felt like this whole vampire business was far worse than he would have hoped. The increased power was nice, but going without using his sword for a few years? He could use other weapons, but it still stung.

They reached the grounds, where Dimitri had brought out a rather large hunk of marble. It almost looked like someone sawed off one of the large, decorative pillars in the mansion and dropped it off in front of him.

"I want you to try to break this in half." Felix gulped. The hunk of marble was easily twice his width. "You can go about it as you please. There are weapons over on the rack if you are worried about hurting yourself." Felix felt defiant about the comment and took a deep breath, flexing his fingers before pulling back and punching at the marble with all of his strength. To his surprise, he heard a loud crack. Where he had punched had indented significantly, with a hole in the center. However, the hole had not broken all the way through. Dimitri walked to the side where Felix was and shook his head.

"That is heightened strength, but I do not think it is your specialty." With little pomp or circumstance, Dimitri pulled his fist back and slammed it into the marble, easily punching a hole through it. Felix gaped. If he could do that to solid stone, he could likely do that to a person. Remembering each of his broken ribs after their fight last night made him shudder. "It is still possible you can shift into other creatures, that does take time to fully uncover. But I have an inkling you are similar to how I am, perhaps due to my own specialties." He shook the dust off his gloved hand and placed both hands on Felix's shoulders. Felix went to shrug him off, but Dimitri didn't budge.

Silently, the two shared eye contact for an uncomfortable period of time. Dimitri spoke first. "Describe to me how you intend to kill me. I am curious." Felix was thrown off by the question, but he did not seem to be joking.

"With the strength I have now … I would cut your head clean off and rip your heart out, then toss your body in a river with a rock. Maybe if I was feeling creative I'd stick your head on a pike as a warning to the other weak vampires here." He was so close, he could reach out and wring his neck without even a second thought. But for some reason, his hands remained by his side. He tried to look away, but found the other man's single eye seemed to swim in front of him. It deepened and Felix suddenly felt small, lost. His breath stopped and his skin became covered in pins and needles, all screaming at him. Felix was losing himself until - something snapped. He slowly craned his head back and then head-butted Dimitri, causing him to release his grip and stagger backwards. A bit of blood trickled down his forehead and the asshole had half a mind to smirk at him.

"Don't do that to me again." Felix was getting ready to deck the King if he came close, but instead he shook his head.

"Hopefully I won't need to." His posture relaxed, the wound on his head quickly healing. "Now you try. Try to communicate to my body how you want me to respond or feel." Felix imagined this would be easy. He willed Dimitri's body to fall to his knees and crane his neck upwards to him. He watched as the man closed his eye, as if hearing and processing the psychic suggestion, then went down on one knee, then the other.

_Oh_, Felix thought. _I could get used to this._

He walked forward and roughly took Dimitri's chin in his hand. Now Felix was the one with a wicked grin on his face. If only he still had weapons on him, he could end this right now. Dimitri seemed to lean into his hand, almost asking for Felix to simply kill him and get it over with. "Not so big and scary now, huh?" Dimitri couldn't help but give a rueful smile.

"Am I big and scary?" Felix responded by planting a foot against Dimitri's chest and pushing, making him fall onto his back.

"Not anymore." Dimitri got up wordlessly and brushed himself off.

"So, you are psychically charged. I'm not surprised. Using this ability will drain your blood levels faster than you would fighting normally, keep that in mind." It almost infuriated Felix just how calm Dimitri was in this moment. "Is there anything else you would like to ask about, while we are here?"

"Why are you helping me?" Dimitri blinked curiously at the question. "I want to kill you," Felix continued. "I just told you how I want to kill you. And yet you are giving me all the tools to do so. Why?"

Dimitri gave a wistful look and placed a hand on his ward's shoulder. "If you kill me, then that is that. I turned you and am testing you now because I have faith that you, just like your brother, your father, his father, and the father before him, will serve me without fail. And if that is misguided, then you are free to strike me down." The resolute answer was surprising to Felix. Sylvain had talked about the fact that Kings rarely lived long enough to have to convincingly "die" and "take over" pretending to be their son or grandson, maybe Dimitri was setting himself up to die. Didn't seem to make much sense.

"You also can … suggest things to people?"

Dimitri shrugged. "I typically use it as a general defense mechanism to halt civil uprisings within my House of Lords and Commons. Or, for some of my wards who may have decided that they would like to usurp me." Felix felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle, hoping that was just the chill of the air. "Rarely I find the need to use it."

"What were you suggesting to me then, before I stopped you." Dimitri rubbed his nose a bit to hide a smile.

"Oh, just to stand still. Usually to non-psychic vampires, their muscles would begin to spasm and I would cut the suggestion off there. I figured once you were able to break it, that you were psychically inclined as well. Most other psychic vampires either can completely repel or eventually break a suggestion."

Felix nodded, twisting his face in thought. A useful tool to feed with, now he could just tell humans to walk outside with him and he could kill them. Much easier than what had transpired earlier. Dimitri's strength just seemed freakish, the regular amount of vampiric strength was enough of a boon for him. No, this psychic ability was definitely an interesting development. He wondered what the extent of this ability truly was. "I would like to train." A sensation hit his brain as Dimitri gave a playful smile. "... Please."

"Of course, Felix." Felix gritted his teeth as he shook off the suggestion. He would have to get better at stopping that, he loathed the thought of doing what the King said out of suggestion. He grabbed the steel blade tossed to him, getting himself into a readied stance.

Felix hated that he found some enjoyment in not being alone. Since his mother died a few years back, he had been staking out the Woods of Fraldarius by himself, having only the wildlife and inevitable intruding vampires to keep him company. On the rare occasion he would go into town to do mercenary requests, but only during especially cold winters. This was the first continued contact with other people Felix had in years. And despite the two men he had spent the evening with being utterly infuriating, there was something nice about it. The thoughts hung in his mind as the two sparred. The training ended with neither landing a final blow on the other, Felix coated in a thin sheen of sweat. Dimitri seemed mostly unphased, yet some of his long, blonde hair stuck to his head. In time, Felix thought. He would figure out Dimitri's weaknesses.

He went to bed thinking about the new rules and powers in his life, finding it hard to to truly drift off to sleep. How could he, when he had so much to learn, so much training to undergo? His mind shifted from one thought to the next, nestling into the large bed provided to him. Felix certainly enjoyed the amenities provided with being the King's ward as well, that much was certainly true. Despite all of these thoughts, the thought of the King on his knees in front of him made his face hot and those vampiric urges sing in his ears. He would rather not think about the man he intends to murder looking positively enchanting with his head in Felix's hand, but something about it felt correct. He eventually drifted off as the night drew to an end, unknowing of what his future would bring in the coming days.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deadbeat dads, squablling, and bath houses, oh my 👀

It was early in the evening when a guard alerted Dimitri to Rodrigue's entry onto the manor grounds. He threw on his cloak and rushed outside, unable to keep a smile from his face. Despite his current problems with the man, he still meant a lot to Dimitri. He slowed to a walk as he saw Rodrigue patting the flank of his horse and laughing with a guard.

"Rodrigue! So glad to see you on short notice."

Rodrigue saw the king and bowed, smiling back at him. "Your highness, the pleasure is mine. My apologies for not arriving sooner." Dimitri gave him a handwave and invited him inside. The two walked along the halls and chatted idly, bouncing from various different states of affairs within the nation. Once they reached Dimitri's antechamber, they both took a seat.

"Now, I unfortunately did not invite you here for a laugh and tea." He poured them both a cup, taking a sip before he continued. "Rodrigue, I need you to swear you will be honest with me." The man placed a hand on his chest, showing some sort of offense at the statement.

"My king, of course."

Dimitri leaned forward and placed his forearms on the table. "I have received word that a man claiming to be your son was spotted out in Fraldarius territory a few days ago." Rodrigue rolled his eyes and took a sip of his tea.

"Nonsense. I am sure men claim things like that all the time for some shot at inheritance now that Glenn has passed." He seemed a bit forlorn as he spoke, the wound still fresh in his mind.

"He had the Aegis Shield." Rodrigue choked, almost dropping his cup.

"T-that's impossible. It has been stored under lock and key for years!" Dimitri shook his head and locked eyes with him.

"I told you to be honest with me, Rodrigue." He sent a gentle suggestion to the man; open up, tell the truth, stop hiding from him. He squirmed in his seat, biting his tongue.

"So you are claiming this … this boy somehow bears my blood and namesake and my Hero's relic? That's … that can't be possible." Rodrigue slumped back in his chair, unable to look back at Dimitri. "I admit, your highness, there were times where I carried out some of my more uncouth tendencies, but I had been certain nothing ever came of it."

"He knew Glenn." Rodrigue slammed his palm on the table.

"If you have something to say, out with it! I do not enjoy being toyed with." Dimitri summoned a guard and instructed him to go get Felix, but not mention the circumstance. He returned his hard gaze to Rodrigue.

"I found this man in the forests of Fraldarius with the Aegis Shield and brought him back with me. He is now my personal ward, and I will be training him. Until then, I expect a very serious explanation as to why and how you bedded a Vampire Hunter, and how you let a child, bastard or not, live untaught with a Fraldarius crest for 2 decades." Rodrigue was speechless. Dimitri sighed and got up, hugging the cloak to his body. Rodrigue had been like a second father to him when his own was assassinated, offering him ample protection in his claim to power. What other secrets could he have?

Felix opened the door rather unceremoniously, his eyes falling first to Dimitri. "Your highness, what do you - oh." Felix bristled visibly at the other man, his frown morphing into a snarl. He went to turn on his heel and leave, Dimitri holding out a hand.

"Felix, please stay. You deserve these answers more than I do." Rodrigue got up slowly and inspected Felix, looking as though he had seen a ghost. Without hesitation, his hand snapped out and wound tightly around Felix's neck, lifting him up high enough that he was standing on his tiptoes.

"You little ingrate."

"Rodrigue, no-"

Immediately, the other man crumpled and released Felix, clutching at his head. He let out a low groan as Felix slammed a foot into his side, sending Rodrigue careening into the wall. "I could have told you this was a bad idea, your highness." Dimitri frowned and helped Rodrigue up, keeping a firm grip on his forearm.

"I needed to see how he would respond, and now I know." Rodrigue looked at Dimitri with a surprising acidity.

"This rat broke into my home, stole my Hero's relic, the last object I have of my dead son, and you expect me to treat him fondly? Your highness, ward or not, this is unacceptable." He grimaced as Felix stepped forward, meeting his gaze with a fiery look of his own.

"I wouldn't have needed to break in if you decided to be my father, you piece of shit-"

"Felix, please." Dimitri shook his head and Felix seemed to be condemned to simply vibrate in anger while the King got to have all the fun. "Rodrigue, whether you care to admit it or not, Felix Hugo Fraldarius is your son. And if I hear you speak about my ward in that way again, I will have you executed." Rodrigue looked positively devastated, slumping back as Dimitri released him. Dimitri walked over to Felix and sighed.

"I apologize. I had a feeling something like this would happen -"

"You think?" Felix sounded furious as he folded his arms and glared up at Dimitri. The king met his gaze, a genuine hurt in his eyes.

"I needed to know for sure how he would respond. You do not need to be present anymore if you so desire." Felix immediately left, shutting the door loudly behind him. Rodrigue had found his way back to the chair, his hands buried in his long hair.

"There was a mercenary, Loretta … but she wasn't a hunter. What self respecting hunter would bed a vampire of my age and status?" Dimitri shrugged and Rodrigue genuinely seemed upset with himself. "My King, had I known … I would never have left him to be raised alone. I think it is best I go see him." Dimitri shook his head.

"Absolutely not, unless you are both under my supervision." Rodrigue went to protest, silenced as Dimitri raised a hand. "Felix wouldn't want you to, even if I gave you the okay." He moved over to his desk and moved some sheets around until he retrieved a long roll of paper and a small velvet bag. "Since you are here, we should begin discussing strategy. I'll call Sylvain in."

Once Sylvain entered, Dimitri unfurled the map and began placing small figures on various locations in Fodlan. They were sparse: a few in Faerghus, a couple in Adrestia, a few in Dadga, a few in the Alliance. They spoke, argued, and pushed around various figures, discussing plans on how to expertly dispose of each entity.

"The problem," Rodrigue said, holding a figure in his hands. "Is we have no concept of just what these people can do. Their political power nearly matches you and the Emperor's in every way but name, but their physical power? Completely unknown. They have raised the dead and destroyed cities, how are we supposed to match that?" He placed the piece back in Enbarr, sitting on its far reaches. Sylvain nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"I would say we have numbers on our side. Since the alliance of the three nations, we have seen zero move from any of these assholes. At least that we know of." He curled a piece of hair in his fingers, looking at Dimitri. "What they were expecting to happen - for the three of you to kill each other - never actually happened. So they need to figure out their next move." Dimitri shook his head, feeling lost in all this information.

"But it's been a year and a half, and nothing. Cornelia and Lord Arundel fled to Dagda, we can only assume they still have agents here keeping tabs on each of us. So why the silence?" The table fell quiet in thought, Dimitri gently pushing around the figures in Dagda.

"They have to be plotting something." Rodrigue spoke, mostly to himself. "For them to wait on a first strike from us would be insane. As you stated, Sylvain, we overwhelm them with numbers." The back and forth went on, with little information actually discovered in the plans.

Dimitri would have to sit down with Claude and Edelgard before he made a strike, as per their tenuous agreement. Every day he let Edelgard live, even with the knowledge that the assassination of his father was not truly done by her, but by "Those Who Slither in the Dark", as her vassal Hubert put it, made his stomach roil with rage. Claude had brokered this peace deal, and it was a necessary move in order to preserve lives. But the voices in his head screamed that Edelgard must die.

Rodrigue eventually got up and left to his temporary quarters, Dimitri pushing the doors open to his own quarters and collapsing on his chair. Sylvain followed and sat with him, tangling their legs. Dimitri carded a hand through his hair and scratched idly at Sylvain's scalp. "So … learn anything fun about Felix last night?" Dimitri nodded, Sylvain resting his head in the crook of his neck.

"Yes, he is psychically inclined. Has the potential to be very strong as well, earlier it seemed like he could just inflict pain on Rodrigue without touching him." Sylvain rose a brow, craning his neck to look up at Dimitri.

"Dima, making Felix see his deadbeat dad after twenty someodd-years is not the brightest idea you've had." Dimitri shook his head, humming softly against Sylvain's hair.

"I knew it would go south, but that no one would be seriously injured." Sylvain sighed and stretched a leg over the arm of the chair.

"None of this would have happened if we had just killed him and taken the shield back." Dimitri got up suddenly, causing Sylvain to topple to the floor.

"I am a little tired of everyone doubting me."

"Come on, Dima. You turned him 'cause he's cute." Dimitri rolled his eyes, refusing to make contact with Sylvain as he lounged on the floor. "You're not wrong, I'm just surprised. That's not exactly how you run things. That's a pretty 'me' move."

Dimitri sighed and began to pace. Sylvain propped his head up on his hands, watching his King stomp about. "Glenn was an incredibly useful asset to us. To not see the potential in Felix, related to Glenn or not, would be foolish."

"Glenn was also straight." Dimitri let out a rather unkingly noise, sitting on his bed and rubbing at his temples. "You know Felix's first feed was on a woman, right? We could be dealing with another Glenn scenario." Dimitri wisely decided not to respond to that. He refused to acknowledge the possibility that he may have turned him for less than political reasons. "All I'm saying is, you're putting a lot of stock into a wild boy we found living out in the woods about three days ago."

"That is enough." Dimitri stood to his full height, looking down as Sylvain glanced up at him from the floor. "Whether you understand my intentions or not, Felix is still my ward, just as you are. I would appreciate a little less backtalk." Sylvain gave a sigh and got up, giving a sweeping gesture of a bow.

"My apologies, my king." He spoke mockingly, with a very small hint of sincerity in his tone. Dimitri ignored this display and got back into his chair, hands deep in his own hair. The two were interrupted by a guard knocking on the door.

"Your highness, the young Lord Fraldarius requests you at the training grounds." Sylvain and Dimitri both got up, following the guard out of the room.

Felix was fighting with a training dummy, reinforced with iron plates at the base and joints to keep any basic attack from a vampire from obliterating it. He had stripped down to his leggings and turtleneck, swinging at the wooden dummy with reckless abandon. Dimitri took a few moments to just watch, Sylvain trying not to look up at his King and laugh at how smitten he was. The guard jogged up to Felix and announced the two, causing him to stop his assault and sheath his blade. He made no effort to bow, no show of respect.

"You requested us, Felix?"

"Spar with me." This boy certainly enjoyed his training. Dimitri turned to Sylvain and shrugged.

"Why don't you try sparring with Sylvain tonight?" Felix made no response, watching as Sylvain made his way into the center of the training grounds after snatching up a steel lance. Dimitri remained on the sidelines, leaning against a wall to spectate. Felix wore a grim look, unsheathing the blade and pointing it directly at Sylvain.

"Do not toy with me this time." Sylvain only laughed and flashed a smirk at Felix.

"Oh, come on. You were a human before, now we're on an equal playing field. Maybe you'll show me a good time." He gave a wink and placed the lance against his sword, waiting for a few beats before jumping back. Felix immediately gave chase, bringing his sword down. Sylvain blocked, his arms shuddering under the weight of the other man. He threw him off and took a few swings of his own, Felix parrying each one. This continued, the back and forth between each of them, before suddenly Sylvain felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. His vision blurred and he barely blocked another hit from Felix, bouncing off and grazing his shoulder.

"Oh, we're using powers, huh? Two can play at that game." And suddenly, Sylvain was gone. Felix looked around, panicked, trying to find a wall to back himself up against. His shadow lengthened, growing wide until Sylvain appeared behind him, pressing the lance horizontally against his throat. Felix growled and sent an elbow into Sylvain's gut, causing him to stagger but not release. He pressed the lance against him harder. "Do it again, Felix. If you can't bring me to my knees with that brain tickle shit, you've got no chance taking out his highness." He pressed again, Felix choking at the continued contact. Felix closed his eyes and focused, telling Sylvain's hand to release the weapon. They shook for a moment, loosening enough for Felix to duck free and bring the sword across Sylvain's stomach, pushing back to get distance between them.

Sylvain rubbed at his mouth with the back of his hand, blood spilling from his gut as the wound slowly knit itself closed. "Much better. What else ya got, Fraldarius?"

"Less talking, more fighting." Felix grunted as he dashed back in, clashing blade against lance. Sylvain responded with a wild grin, sending a kick into Felix's side and knocking him away.

Felix got up slowly, feeling his ribs lock back into place. He could certainly get used to the whole "instant regeneration" aspect of vampirism, it meant he could keep fighting until he collapsed from exhaustion. He waited until Sylvain came in, parrying the hit and locking an ankle behind his foot and yanking him down. Sylvain fell back and Felix leapt onto him, pinning him down by the shoulders. Felix was breathing heavy while Sylvain let out a breathy laugh. He placed both hands in Felix's waist and hooked a leg around his knee, flipping him so now that Sylvain was on top. The two wrestled on the ground until Dimitri held up a hand and spoke up.

"Enough." They both stopped halted, Sylvain making sure he could get a word in before Felix could break away.

"You gonna kiss me while we're down here, or am I just supposed to yearn for you until -" Felix stopped this by punching Sylvain's shoulder, helping him as they both stood up. As Dimitri walked forward, Felix dropped his hand and balled them into fists at his side.

"I wanted to fight you, boar-"

"Felix, you had been so good at addressing me properly." Felix looked ready to pull his blade out again, but made no move. "Sylvain is just as good to train against. You can't just fight me forever, I have work to do. Come now. If you both like, I can have some tea brought up to the room.” Sylvain and Felix turned to each other as Dimitri walked back to his quarters.

"How did you disappear?"

"I became a shadow." Sylvain placed both hands behind his head, looking off into the distance. "I can't do something like that for very long, but it's handy. How's the psychic stuff coming along?" Felix sighed and went to grab his jacket, the bitter cold now hitting the sweat on his body.

"It doesn't feel strong yet. I have to train it more." He idly pulled out his hair tie, pushed more hair back into his ponytail, then retied it. It was such a difference from Glenn, Sylvain had thought. While Rodrigue kept his hair long, Glenn had always kept it short and cropped. Sylvain jogged to catch up, trying to direct Felix a different way.

"Let's hit the baths first. I feel gross and want to get the blood off me before going back to his highness." Felix looked to see the man's thick undershirt torn open, blood splattered across where the stomach wound had healed. Felix found no reason to argue that. Sylvain pushed the door open and rung for an attendant. The men's bath was exquisite, patterned in the same white marble around the manor. The floors were covered in tiles, with the choice of sitting in an empty basin to be filled with water, or sitting on a raised ledge to have water poured over. Both had neat little drains leading out into some sort of plumbing system. Felix had never seen anything so immaculate in his life.

The whole experience of living in a King's Manor versus living in a small village, then in the woods, had not fully hit his culture shock until this moment. He unclothed and wrapped himself in a towel, following Sylvain in a daze. Two attendants came in, holding a few small water basins and various packets of herbs. "Lord Gautier, the baths?" Sylvain nodded and sat on the lip of the bath, watching as the attendant poured steaming hot water. Felix joined him, sitting a few feet away and feeling the hot water begin to lick at his feet. The process continued until the water reached his thighs, prompting him to slip into the bath. One of the attendants took a seat next to him, fingering through various packets.

"Lord Fraldarius, do you have a request? Lord Gautier typically enjoys the eucalyptus mixed packet." Felix eyed the packets and found a sharp tea tree and frankincense, giving her the nod as she ripped it open and dumped it in the waters. Felix was hit with the scents and let out a sigh of relief. His eyes flicked over to see Sylvain, chest broad as he sat in the baths with his arms resting on the top of the basin.

"You look like you've never had a bath in your life."

"Nothing like this …" Felix could feel the various scents mingle with the steam start to make his muscles relax, his body taunting him with ideas of sleep. "They don't exactly have bathhouses in the woods." An attendant offered to wash his hair, but Felix declined as he simply ducked his head in and shook his hair vigorously with his fingers. The attendant looked shocked, Sylvain laughing as his attendant was massaging some sort of oil into his scalp.

"I see that. If you need any help these lovely ladies can't provide, let me know." He gave Felix a wink, which made him groan and splash hot water up at him. The attendant shrieked and hid behind Sylvain, Felix immediately feeling like an idiot. Sylvain just laughed and got up, grabbing his towel from the side. Felix tried incredibly hard not to look at him, hoping the heat from his face was just from all the steam. He got up as well, and Sylvain let out a low whistle.

"Damn, Felix." Felix knew he was definitely now heating up from the sheer embarrassment, begging his mind to remain calm. "Now I get why his Highness let's you do whatever you want. You're-"

"Shut up." He shot him a look, hoping the death in his gaze was enough to stop him from receiving compliments. It wasn't like he could see himself in mirrors, he had some concept of what he looked like since he was last visible in them a few days ago. Sylvain walked up to him and ran a hand down his arms.

"You are like, all muscle. Have you just been training in your sleep for the past decade?" Felix shook him off and clamped the towel closer to himself.

"Yes. Now let's go so you can stop ogling me." He walked quickly out of the room, fishing around for his clothes and getting dressed as soon as he could. An attendant seemed to have washed his clothes while they bathed, as his shirt and coat were warm to the touch.

Once they were dressed, the two met with Dimitri in his antechamber. He had been holding a book and pen in his hands, but immediately put them away as Sylvain and Felix entered. "Good to see you two. All cleaned up?" Sylvain nodded and took his seat, spreading his legs to get comfortable. Felix stayed standing, leaning against the door. "Felix, I actually would like to ask you some questions." Felix gave a sigh and sat down as well, pouring himself some tea.

"What was your mother's name?" Felix cut off eye contact immediately, moving his gaze to look at the spiral designs on the wall.

"Loretta." Dimitri bumped a fist against his hand.

"Then Rodrigue was telling some semblance of the truth. Though, he said she was a mercenary. How did she learn to be a vampire hunter?" Felix gave a shrug.

"She would do mercenary work and work at a local bar. Before I knew it, the work became more and more focused on taking down vampires." Dimitri sensed some conflicting emotions in Felix's voice, watching him closely as he set the cup down and folded his arms. "Once I stole the shield, we left town. Still did the mercenary work, just did it without a consistent location. She was worried that my father's lackeys would target the bar." Dimitri nodded, musing on the thought.

"Rodrigue told me he had no idea the shield had been stolen." Felix gave a smirk at that, seeming quite proud of himself.

"Idiot. It was collecting dust in the armory, at least I use it." Dimitri left it at that, seeing no reason to belittle the man's father even more.

"And how about Glenn? How did he know about you?" Another shrug.

"He would come by once every few months and just talk to my mom. Play fight with me, that sort of thing. Then he stopped coming." His gaze went dark, but he said nothing else. Dimitri figured he would get nothing else, as talking about his brother seemed to be a sore spot for him. Sylvain looked to Dimitri with a smirk of his own.

"Your highness, I think I finally get this whole 'Fraldarius the Younger' fascination you seem to be developing." Felix desperately tried to kick the other man from under the table, baring his teeth.

"You! Are! _Insatiable_!" Each word was punctuated by a loud kick, either hitting Sylvain or the table as he swerved this way and that. Sylvain kept trying to continue and mention Felix's body in some way, but Felix gave him no pause. Dimitri could only watch as his two wards fought across the table from him like school children. He eventually got up, causing the two to stop and look at him.

"We already sparred tonight, there is no more need of this." Sylvain pouted in protest as Felix attempted to deliver a final kick before sitting back up in his seat. Sylvain eventually bid the two goodnight, and Felix went to follow before Dimitri rested a hand on his shoulder. "Felix, a moment." Felix paused, looking at the King with a mix of annoyance and exhaustion.

"What."

"I intend to have another war room meeting tomorrow, I would like you to be present." Felix chewed on the proposal for a few moments, shaking his head as he went to open the doors.

"I don't do well thinking about the big picture. The narrower my view of the battlefield, the easier it is for me to cut through it." Dimitri sighed and pulled Felix to face him.

"At least sit with me." Dimitri sounded exhausted as well.

"I would rather train."

"I'll spar with you afterwards."

"Deal." With that, Felix left to head to his room for the day, leaving Dimitri to his thoughts. He went to sit on his shaded balcony, sitting on the ground as he saw the sun begin to come up. He fell asleep with thoughts of Felix and Sylvain on his mind, rolling about on the training grounds like animals. It would be nice to let loose like that, he thought. Though Felix was still far too green to completely unleash his power. Maybe some time soon. Until then, he found himself sleeping quite peacefully under the shade of his balcony, sun rising above him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the blue lions! Also, some snuggles

Felix started the evening making his way over to Dimitri's quarters, entering without knocking. Dimitri's face lit up as soon as he saw him, and Felix grimaced. It deeply annoyed him that the King was excited to see his future murderer, but there was no curing it. He had brought in the chair from his quarters into the antechamber for him to sit in, while Felix had a smaller, less ornate chair to sit beside him. Dimitri had a small stack of papers on his lap, fingering through a few.

"Today is my emissary report. I send them across the region to give me updates on anything that occurs there, and if anyone we are looking for is spotted." He gave Felix the rundown on their current objective, to find and destroy Those Who Slither in the Dark, along with their international alliance. Felix grabbed a small section of the papers and began flipping through them in earnest. Little of it made sense to him; various trade routes, names he didn't recognize, drawings of different locations. He placed the papers back in Dimitri's lap. All he had to do was sit through this, then he could get in some proper training.

The first emissary to report in was Ingrid, Emissary to the southern regions of Faerghus along the Alliance border. She was a broad shouldered woman, with hastily cut blonde hair and a face that seemed carved from stone. Felix was drawn to her strong features, as she bowed to her king and looked to Felix. "Your Highness, who is this?"

"Felix Hugo Fraldarius. Now, your report?"

Her face fell visibly, eyes filled with a deep regret. She took a long breath, keeping her attention focused on Dimitri. "The southern regions are currently operating as needed. The Alliance's assistance in keeping some of our more frigid regions afloat with necessary food has been an incredible boon. We have not spotted any dissenters. Overall, a positive report." She went on detailing food supplies, weaponry, population of magic users, and so on. Felix felt himself growing restless, Dimitri placing a hand on his. Ingrid finished her report and bowed, finally taking a look at Felix.

"So you're …"

"Yes. Glenn's brother. What?" Her eyes seemed misty, bringing a hand to her face to hide any emotions.

"He was an incredible knight. You should be proud of him." Felix gave a huff and folded his arms. He was beginning to grow sick of all of the hero worship his dead brother garnered.

"You're all saps. He died needlessly in your war, and you sing his praises because the alternative is realizing that he could have been happy and alive without you all. Pathetic." Ingrid's face grew dark, the hand at her face balling into a tight fist.

"I know better than anyone that Glenn should not be dead. Do not speak out of turn, _ward_." Behind her fist, her fangs were visible as she snarled at him. Felix leaned forward to respond to the snarl in kind, with Dimitri extending a hand between them.

"Both of you, please. Let us … let us not focus on the dead." It seemed hard for Dimitri to say those words, causing Ingrid to apologize and bow again. With that, she left, Dimitri letting out a breath he did not realize he was holding. "They were engaged." Felix rolled his eyes and fell back into his seat.

"I don't care." Dimitri placed a hand on his shoulder, which Felix quickly shrugged off.

"All right, next in should be … ah! Ashe with the Western Regions report." A man who looked to be about Felix's age entered the room, with slicked back silver hair and a face full of freckles. Felix's first thoughts were how endearing he looked, and he hated those feelings immediately. Ashe bowed, popping back up with a warm smile.

"Good evening, your highness! Western Faerghus report, all righty …" He pulled out his own notes, flipping through various pages. His report sounded similar to Ingrid's: overall positive, assistance from the Adrestian Empire providing benefits to the region. "Oh … one thing. A large beast was spotted on the empire's side of the border. I ordered troops to assist, but we were not allowed to inspect the felled beast. If you could speak with the Emperor so we know how best to prepare for another beast like that, please send me back a report! Otherwise, that's it really!" He gave the King a broad smile. "Things are going just fine."

Dimitri gave a nod at the request and jotted down the note, bidding Ashe farewell. Before he left, he gave a wave to Felix. "Hi there! I'm Ashe."

"Felix. A pleasure, I'm sure." His tone was sardonic, but it did not seem to pierce Ashe's demeanor in the slightest. Ashe exited the room, Felix remaining just as grumpy as he had been. "He seems obnoxious."

"Come now, Felix. We could all try to be a little more like Ashe. He is an excellent unifying figure in the region." Felix rolled his eyes and propped up his face with his hand.

"When do we get to train? I'm going to die of boredom here."

"I have two more reports. Another regional report, then a magician's report. Once that is done, we can practice." Felix grumbled, but gave no other response. The door opened to a behemoth of a man, skin deep and covered in scars. Dimitri got up from his chair and embraced the man, who returned the gesture with a gentle warmth about him. Once they released, Dimitri went back to his seat with a smile.

"Dedue, anything to report among the central regions?"

"Business as usual, your highness. A few underground rebellions have been brewing, but nothing of concern. My spies have found that the groups are disorganized, but seem upset at the international alliance overall." Dimitri nodded. "They do not have the manpower to achieve anything, but we will continue to keep tabs on them." Unlike the other Emissaries, Dimitri offered Dedue a seat, sitting across from them.

"Dedue, this is Felix Hugo Fraldarius, my newest ward." Dedue ducked his head in a small bow.

"A pleasure to meet you, my Lord." Felix did not understand Dedue's decision for such honorifics, giving no response in return. Dedue shifted back to Dimitri. "Is there something you require of me, your Highness?"

"Not at all, Dedue. I missed you, and would like to keep you here with me for my last report, if you would be so kind." Dedue nodded, Felix trying to stop himself from retching. The whole display was disgusting, the way Dimitri made eyes at the other man. He even reached a hand over the table and clasped Dedue's calloused fingers, it made Felix wish he was anywhere but here.

"Okay, our last report is-"

The door burst open to reveal Mercedes and Annette, making Felix's head spin. He recognized Mercedes from his first day in the manor, but this new woman was short, had bright orange hair, and a smile that seemed permanently plastered to her face. He had not realized it before, but Mercedes - along with this new girl - were both human. So far, every emissary had been another vampire. Annette waved at the three men, Mercedes giving a curtsy.

"Good evening, your Highness, Lord Fraldarius and Dedue of Duscur."

"Hey guys!" Annette was a ball of sunshine, much like that Ashe fellow. Felix could somewhat see their appeal. Somewhat.

"Hello, ladies. Any updates on the magic and sorcery academies?" Annette took a seat with them, Mercedes remaining poised behind her.

"Nothing too crazy! Since we've made the pact with the Empire and the Alliance, I've been able to do a lot of research with Lysithea and Lindhart. Those two have been super helpful, when they're not being mean or sleeping!" Annette laughed, twirling her fingers in her hair idly. "Lysithea has been working on a tracking magic, which Lindhart has been mapping the distance on. So far, we haven't been able to cross full regions, except for little ones like Fraldarius and Gautier. But Lindhart seems pretty convinced we can do it!" She held her fists up in excitement, practically vibrating. Mercedes laughed and leaned in to give her own report.

"When Lindhart isn't so busy, I spend some time discussing healing magics with him as well. It is a little tough to get him on the topic, but he has been very helpful." Annette nodded in agreement. "Marianne has also been a sweetheart. She always prays for your wellness, your highness." Dimitri blushed a bit at that, causing the two girls to giggle.

"Anything from Hubert?" Annette shook her head, smile disappearing for a moment.

"He has promised to meet with us soon. It's rather tough to get him to come by, what with him needing to be by the Emperor's side at all times, so we usually just exchange letters. He has a pretty detailed report of where he last saw all the bad guys and his recon team's tracking methods, but I am still decoding the formula he used." She handed Dimitri the letter, glancing at the math equations written across the page. He sighed and stuck it into one of his folders.

"Maybe Sylvain will know, you know how he is with these things. Thank you, Annette."

"Not to interrupt," Felix turned to Dimitri, looking confused. "Why are these two, uh. Not vampires?" Mercedes gave a soft chuckle and decided to answer for both of them.

"Silly Felix! Vampires can't do magic." He seemed stunned, not even realizing his own - albeit small - magical abilities had completely vanished. Dimitri cleared his throat.

"Yes, only humans can do magic. A small price to pay, but we are lucky to have such wonderful ladies like these two to assist us when magic is needed." They both laughed and thanked their King, Annette now focusing on Felix.

"Hi there, Felix! I'm Annette." She held a hand out and Felix took it cautiously, giving an awkward handshake. She pulled back and stuck her tongue out. "Ugh, you vampies are so cold!" Felix couldn't help but smile at her. It was almost refreshing to be with a human again, especially a human that wasn't terrified of him, or seconds from being fed on.

"... Nice to meet you." Annette gave him a big, cheesy grin. Normally optimism annoyed him, but Felix could see the charm in it. They all hung around a bit longer before Annette and Mercedes took their leave. This left Dedue, Felix, and Dimitri all sitting silently with one another.

"Dedue," Dimitri began, taking in a deep breath. "I really would love to see you come by the manor more often." Dedue nodded and Felix immediately got up to leave. Dimitri went to grab him, but Felix evaded his grasp and grabbed his coat.

"Enough flirting. You owe me a training session." He was already sick of listening to Dimitri be sappy with anyone, it was worse than Sylvain and his terrible pet names. Dimitri shook his head and got up, clasping Dedue's shoulder.

"Well, I did promise. Please come by again soon."

"Anything for you, your Highness." With that, he grabbed his own cloak and left, heading down to the training grounds.

Felix already realized this was a dumb idea when he saw the cluster of Emissaries waiting on the grounds for him, Sylvain at their head. He gave a nervous laugh as Felix leveled his gaze on him. "As soon as I mentioned where I was headed, no one could pass up watching you two duke it out." Annette wooped from the sidelines, Ingrid watching him with her legs crossed and a large glass of dark liquor. Felix grabbed a sword from the weapons rack and took his place, watching as Dimitri entered and grabbed his lance. Their small crowd cheered loudly for their King.

"You can do it, your highness!"

"You got this!"

"Fuck 'em up, your majesty!"

"_Annette_!" Mercedes chided. "Language."

Dimitri tried not to laugh, bringing his lance tip up to meet Felix's sword. Felix's eyes shone with hunger. They waited one, two, three beats, Felix immediately breaking their weapons apart and jumping back. He quickly learned there was little point in trying to start from there, Dimitri could snap his shoulder with enough force. Felix waited as Dimitri rushed in, bringing his lance in hot while Felix blocked. They traded blows, Felix parrying to cause Dimitri's lance to sink a few inches into the dirt from the force of the blow. Felix took the opportunity to zip behind him and bring down the hilt of his sword on the King's back. It hit, but Felix had expected him to lose balance and fall to the ground. Instead, Dimitri remained standing, his back tensing.

Felix watched as he yanked his lance out of the ground, trying to fight back fear with a desire for victory. Dimitri turned around with blinding speed, Felix only barely blocking the lance. It had torn through the top of his chest, fresh blood spilling. He hissed at the blow and dove back at Dimitri, his blade blocked each time.

Felix consistently found that when he was on the offensive, Dimitri was level headed and could judge every blow. It was when Dimitri was on the sole offensive that Felix could spot potential holes he could exploit. At one point in Felix's barrage, Dimitri grabbed his arm and pulled in hard, causing Felix to drop the blade. His hand quivered in Dimitri's death grip, his face twisted in pain. Dimitri's face went from pallid to dangerous at the drop of a hat, Felix bringing in his free hand to punch the other man dead in the face. Dimitri released Felix in shock, a hand flying to his nose. He swiped at the blood that trickled down and his vision grew dark, Felix grabbing his blade and leveling it at him. Dimitri came in lightning fast, letting out a roar as Felix blocked the hit. Unfortunately for him, the sword snapped clean in half as he did, and Felix leapt out of the way for Dimitri's lance to land in the ground again, chunks of rock flying into the air.

Felix landed on his feet and looked up at Dimitri, hunched over and looking straight through him. Dimitri moved with blinding speed and tackled him to the ground, yanking both of Felix's wrists above his head. He moved in close, breath hot on Felix's face. Felix felt genuine fear, even though in a more sane situation he would have laughed if someone told him Dimitri could make him nervous. He sent a single suggestion, _Stop_, into Dimitri's mind and watched the feral expression drop. All in that moment, he seemed to realize where he was, how he got there, and Felix laying pinned underneath him.

"I-I'm sorry Felix." Shame washed over Dimitri as he got up, Felix not moving an inch as he was freed. Dimitri seemed to shrink, Sylvain jogging over to put a hand on his shoulder walking off the grounds with him. Mercedes came over and offered a hand and a warm smile.

"Everything all right?" Felix took the hand without much thought, feeling as though his soul was sitting a few feet outside his body. Annette came over and looked rather sheepish, likely feeling bad for cheering against him. Felix couldn't make himself care, letting Mercedes tut at him and dote on "what a silly little man" he was. All of the words around him seemed to dissolve like he was underwater, hearing voices just above him. Felix finally found the willpower to leave the group, making his way back to the King's quarters. Sylvain was stationed outside and shook his head.

"Not a good idea, Fe. When he gets like this, it's better to just leave him be." Felix pushed past him and opened the door, crossing the antechamber to see Dimitri slumped into his chair. He saw Felix and gave a groan, his head resting on one hand.

"I shouldn't have had that silly training match with you. I always get too carried away." Felix tried to find the words he wanted to say, his mind running on empty. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times, before settling on:

"That was … exhilarating."

Dimitri sat up and rose a brow. "Excuse me?" Felix tried to shake his head from the fog of their match, walking a few steps closer.

"This is the training I've been looking for. The only way I'll get stronger." Dimitri looked dubious.

"I think I perhaps hit your head a little too hard when you hit the ground. I had been about five seconds from ripping your throat out." Felix planted a hand on each arm of the chair, lowering himself in close.

"Shut up. When you don't hold back, like the beast you are, it makes for a good fight." Dimitri broke the eye contact and looked away, his face feeling hot.

"No need to flatter a beast, Felix."

"You're an idiot." He broke away and felt at the hole in his shirt where the gash had been, now fully healed. "When you cage those murderous tendencies, all you are doing is lying. I appreciate your honesty on the grounds." Dimitri was stumped as to whether this was a compliment or an insult.

"... Thank you? Both of those people are me though, Felix. The one who you fought, and the one sitting here." Felix just rolled his eyes and sat on the bed, looking back at him. Sylvain interrupted by walking in and slapping a hand on Felix's back, earning him a glare.

"I think what Felix is trying to say is that he's not mad or upset with you. Right, Fe?" Felix looked at the taller man like he was insane, as if that point was conveyed so clearly and obviously. Dimitri could only sigh as Sylvain laughed at the two, pulling Dimitri up from his seat. "Now can we kiss and make up? You are both too cute to fret like this." The two seemed stunned by the suggestion, Felix turning around to punch Sylvain in the gut while Dimitri babbled.

"W-why would you even suggest such a thing, Sylvain you know I really don't appreciate when you speak out of turn-" Felix cut off the senseless words by standing tall and grabbing Dimitri's face to kiss, hands tangling in sweaty blonde hair. Dimitri seemed shocked at first, but held Felix close as the kiss ended. Dimitri blinked as he was face to face with Felix, who looked at him with murderous intent.

"I hate that you're like this."

"Use your words, Felix." Felix snapped at Sylvain, who laughed and tousled Dimitri's hair.

"Seeing you … unleash yourself like that … I liked it. I want to see more of that." Dimitri would have been dumbfounded if he had not already been kissed stupid, Felix's face flush from battle and embarrassment. He held him close, not wanting to break the spell between them.

"Perhaps, once you're a little stronger … we could give it another go."

"Please." They kissed again, hard, and Sylvain sat on the bed feeling terribly left out. Dimitri pulled away breathless, spotted Sylvain, and felt rather embarrassed.

"You two lovebirds want me to leave you be? Or am I allowed to watch?" Felix was ready to pick up Sylvain and throw him through the window, but Dimitri only laughed as he held Felix against his chest.

"You know I am terrible at telling you what to do, Sylvain." He gently lowered Felix onto Sylvain's lap, pressing him between the two of them. Felix gave Dimitri a fierce look, but didn't make any move to leave.

"You really indulge him? This asshole?" Sylvain took hold of Felix's waist and rested his head on his shoulder. He teased idly at Felix's shirt, causing him to wriggle in his grasp.

"When I'm really lucky, sometimes I get to do the indulging." Felix made a face and Dimitri laughed, kissing his forehead.

"I promise he isn't all that bad." Felix met him for another kiss and sighed against the King's lips, Sylvain tugging out Felix's hair tie. Felix's hair fell around him in waves and Dimitri carded a hand through them, sliding a knee onto the bed. "What exactly is our plan here?" Sylvain gave a shrug, leaning back to admire all of his King. Felix shook his hair out and refused to look at either of them.

"I would have assumed you two were the experts."

The two larger men just laughed, Dimitri joining them on the bed as Sylvain pulled them both to lay down. Felix suddenly felt dizzy, pressed between the two as Dimitri would kiss him, lean over and kiss Sylvain, untie his own shirt so it hung loose on his shoulders. Felix only now seemed to realize how hot Dimitri was, face red from Felix's too-sharp kisses. Sylvain had slipped fingers up into his shirt and around his sides, Felix surprised at how comfortable he felt. His guard was completely exposed as two vampires had cornered him, yet he felt no distress or fear. Felix weakly kicked Sylvain away so he could get on top of Dimitri, holding his face tight in his hands and kissing him again. Dimitri sighed into the kiss, pressing their foreheads together.

"I am perfectly content with just this."

"... Okay." Something about the way Dimitri looked at him, his eye staring deep into his soul, made his chest feel hot and his stomach feel light. How could he have let this happen, Felix thought to himself. How could he sit here and look dreamily at this ancient vampire, thinking about his beauty and his hardened features. He had no answers.

"You still gonna kill him?" Felix growled and pressed a hand against Sylvain's face, not having the willpower to shove him off the bed.

"Shut up. I'll kill you first." They laughed again, wrangling him down between them to fall asleep together. Felix has tried to escape, but found the two men had too tight a grip on him. Perhaps he didn't mind spending a little time with the King and one of his vassals, just for a little while.

Sylvain woke up first, sneaking off to finish the day's sleep in his own quarters. Felix woke up some time mid day, the light of the sun peeking in and giving him a headache. He looked over to Dimitri sleeping peacefully beside him and frowned. How in the world did he let himself get so enthralled by the man's feral tendencies? Even now, thinking back to the crazed look in Dimitri's eye, his own hands suspended above his head, made his brain feel foggy. Dimitri seemed to sense the other body getting ready to leave, pulling gently at Felix's shirt to bring him back. This only succeeded in tearing the fabric, Felix kicking Dimitri to make him let go. Dimitri held the scrap of fabric in his hands, getting comfortable in bed by himself and settling back in to sleep.

Felix watched him for a minute, looking quite peaceful as he slept, his eye patch off and revealing a scarred, mostly closed eye. Most of the damage seemed to be hidden by his messy hair, but Felix could only imagine what caused such an injury. The fact that he fought so well with compromised depth perception was quite impressive to boot. He hated that he was impressed by such a wild animal. Felix settled into the large chair Dimitri had, dragged back into the room after a day of meetings in the antechamber, and fell back asleep curled up, looking out on the sleeping form of his King.

When Dimitri finally woke to Felix curled up on his chair like a cat, he draped his cloak over the other man and smiled fondly at him. This all had felt like a fairy tale, and he would have to spend his time doing Kingly duties and not dote on Felix for the rest of time. That just didn't seem fair. Dimitri set off to begin the new evening, leaving Felix to cuddle in close to the warmth of the thick, navy cloak. He deserved a little time to sleep in.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix channels his frustration in various, constructive ways.  
(NSFW)

The Emissaries planned to stay in Fhirdiad for the next few days, as the International meeting would be taking place shortly after their arrival. Sylvain made the suggestion that Felix could take him and Ashe out for a bite to eat, maybe unwind a bit. The three were walking the street to Sylvain's usual haunt, Ashe eager to ask all sorts of questions.

"So, you're really new to all this, right?" Felix nodded. "Me too, I only got turned a couple years ago. My adoptive father was a vampire, so he turned me." Felix rose a brow. Ashe seemed to be the first person who was excited to be a vampire.

"Why did you agree?" Ashe looked up at the star filled night sky, sighing dreamily.

"Initially he didn't want to turn me, but I was insistent. I knew it would be the best way to become a knight, and look at me now! An emissary to the King." Felix gave a huff and rolled his eyes. The idea that someone attempted to become a vampire for virtuous reasons was ridiculous to him. "What about you?"

"I intend to kill the King." Ashe stopped dead, Sylvain turning back and laughing at them.

"He says that all the time, don't worry about it." Sylvain had his hands behind his head, smirking down at Felix. It was as if he asked to be punched.

"The boar turned me because he has a death wish, I assume." Ashe gasped, pressing both hands to his face.

"Oh wow! He turned Dedue too!" Felix glared at Ashe, unable to contain his less than pleasant feelings for the other man. Sylvain had mentioned to Dedue that they were going out to feed, but he declined to spend the evening with Dimitri. Felix was sure the two would spend the whole time staring into each other's eyes, or holding hands. The thought made him want to retch.

"What about you, Sylvain? I don't think I ever heard your story." Sylvain gave a dismissive hand wave, continuing their walk.

"Cause it's boring. My dad turned me so he could retire from Emissary and Vassal work." Felix idly wondered if his father had done the same until his brother had been killed. He would never know, since he didn't care enough to ask.

"What kind of abilities do you have, Felix?" Ashe continued his question assault, excited to have a friend to talk to. Felix tried not to find the attention cute.

"Psychic. At the moment, all I know how to do is psychic suggestion, but according to the boar, there are more abilities that I can do in time." Everything about vampirism seemed to take time. It made sense, since they had plenty of time to spare. Until that time came along, Felix had to settle for being weaker than he would like.

"Cool! I can shape shift, like Sylvain. Except I like shifting into animals a lot more than people." His yellow-green eyes twinkled under the moonlight with a hint of mischievousness. "If you're psychic, does that mean you're going to get all the food we need?" Felix nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. It would be good practice, he could try to get three people at once, or if he bring them out one at a time if it ended up being too troublesome. In his mind, it was still training, just in a different fashion.

"Get me someone beautiful, okay Fe?" Felix punched the small of Sylvain's back, only managing to produce a laugh. How annoying. The two sat and waited in the shadows of a nearby alleyway, Felix entering the bar on his own.

He hated all of the noise the bar created. The sound of people talking, laughing, drinking, music playing raucously, it all gave him a headache. Hopefully he would easily be able to take three people outside and be done without any further issue. He found two women together at the bar, and a lone man waiting by the musicians. Felix went to him first, giving the suggestion _Follow Me_. He found it was much easier to make suggestions to humans, there was no fighting his power at all. He made his way to the women, the man following behind him obediently. He caught the eye of one and sent the same message. They both seemed a little hazy at first, but enough focus and they complied. He could feel himself sweating from the exertion of holding two people and decided it would be better to feed first, then get the third human. He steeled his focus and made the walk out the front of the bar, the two humans behind him following with little trouble at all. Felix had not realized that he had never tried to hold a suggestion for longer than a few moments, and holding two people for even thirty seconds was starting to wear his energy down much faster than he had anticipated. He brought them both outside, signalling to Ashe and Sylvain.

"All yours." Once both men were successfully feeding, Felix broke the suggestion and leaned against the wall of the alleyway, feeling drained. His head was swimming from the exertion, with very little blood left in his body to continue powering himself. Ashe frowned and handed the man over to Felix. "If you want, you can just finish him off, I didn't take much." The man was babbling quietly, his skin stark white with blood staining his shirt. Felix took Ashe up on the offer and sunk his fangs into the same spot, emptying the man completely. He let the corpse drop and wiped at his face, feeling the vigor of fresh blood coursing through his body.

"Nice job, Fe. Be a little more careful next time though, you had me worried." Felix would have snapped at him, but Sylvain was right. It would have been more efficient to grab one, feed, then grab two more. He would try to remember that for next time. The trio started their way back, Felix caught off guard as his sensitive hearing picked up something in the distance.

"Walking along the alleyway ~  
Gonna watch my behind today ~  
Gotta watch out for those beasties, o~kay!  
Walking along the alleywayyy~"

Sylvain and Ashe both tried to stop Felix as he moved closer to the singing, both of them fully aware of the repercussions. Felix, however, was enraptured like a sailor trapped under a siren's spell. He crept closer to the sound, finding Annette wandering by herself in the alleyways outside of the Manor. He watched and listened for a few blessed moments before she stopped suddenly.

"W-who is it?" Her form shrunk noticeably, head swiveling around before she caught Felix's eyes. She screamed, putting her palm out and shouting "Fire!!" Felix tried to say something, warn her that it was just him, but could not get out his pleas for safety in time. The fireball shot out and Felix dropped to the ground, feeling the heat against his entire body. The fireball also fully illuminated him, causing Annette to drop her hand and look at him curiously.

"... Felix? What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He got up and brushed himself off, not daring to look behind him and see what damage she may have caused. "I heard you singing and-"

"You what??" She covered her face with her hands and groaned, her body wavering. "Nooooo! How could you??" Felix was stunned. What had he done wrong? Ashe came in and took Felix's hand, trying to pull him away from the mess.

"Sorry Annette, we were just about to leave! Don't mind us!"

"No, he has to forget it! Felix, promise me you will never ever think about me singing the Alleyway song ever again!" Felix looked at Annette and thought he may have been going insane.

"The … alleyway song?"

"Annette, you big dummy! You told him the name of the song and now he will remember it forever!!" She was shaking herself even harder, almost beside herself with tears as Ashe and Sylvain made a concerted effort to drag Felix away and leave Annette to her own, very confusing devices. Once they were far enough away, Ashe started laughing hysterically.

"Oh man … it's been a while since I've seen Annette get that upset! You can't spook her like that, otherwise she'll blow your head off." Felix nodded, still trying to piece together what had just happened. Sylvain took up the lead and brought them back to the manor.

"I know what'll cheer him back up, you wanna go to the training grounds Fe?"

Felix wanted to spit out that he wasn't some dog, he didn't need positive reinforcement, but going to train while he had fresh blood in him did sound rather nice. The three made their way to the grounds and Felix shook off the last of any feelings he was tired of, then shed his jacket.

"Are either of you training with me?" Sylvain immediately declined and Ashe looked away, pretending he didn't hear the question. "Fine." The two took their seats as Felix began the process of lugging out one of the metal-reinforced training dummies, setting it on the ground, then retying his hair to make sure every strand was out of his face. Felix preferred to go at the dummies bare handed to avoid any lasting damage to the weapons provided to him. Sylvain and Ashe sat next to each other, gossiping while Felix worked.

"He is pretty cute for someone so stuffy." Ashe whispered to Sylvain.

"Oh he is very cute." Sylvain didn't bother keeping his voice down, he knew Felix would be able to hear them either way. "But I've got an inkling he's gonna be the sole property of his Highness by the end of the week." Felix landed a kick directly at the junction of the dummy's head and shoulder, causing it to launch off the body and rocket directly toward Sylvain. He ducked, the head exploding on the wall behind them.

"Oh." Ashe scrunched his nose, lacing his fingers in front of his knees. "That's a shame. It seems like he really likes you!"

"I don't." Felix made his voice loud enough to be heard, making no pause in his assault. "I don't like either of them."

"He's so cute when he lies." Sylvain planted his hand on his cheek, his eyes scanning over Felix's body. He was incredibly athletic, it was quite enjoyable to watch him go to town on the dummy. Ashe disappeared for a moment, then reappeared with a bottle of whiskey for the two to share. Sylvain happily took a swig, handing it back to Ashe for him to drink. "I'm surprised you're not up there with him."

"I realized a while back that I don't have anything to prove to anyone but myself. I can train until I'm blue in the face, but the thing that makes me the best knight possible is by just following my heart and doing what's right." Sylvain stole the bottle and took another swig.

"Couldn't've said it better myself, kid. Hopefully Boy Wonder finds that out soon before he breaks every training dummy in the Manor." Felix's head whipped around to face Sylvain.

"I won't kill the beast unless I get stronger. So I have to train."

"God, would you lay off? It's getting on my nerves." Sylvain tried not to look too annoyed as Felix blew a piece of hair out of his face and walked over to the two men, taking the bottle from them.

"I am serious."

"Keep telling yourself that. You can blab on and on about how you are going to kill his Highness, but considering the way you tried to eat his face the other night, I'd say you're full of shit" Felix took a surprisingly long drink and dropped the bottle. Ashe leapt forward, catching it in time before the glass shattered. Felix had a dark look in his eyes, but Sylvain showed no hint of backing down. He stood to meet Felix's gaze, a grin spreading on his face. "It's not even that I think you're not strong enough, though that's obviously true. I just think you're too chickenshit."

Felix threw a punch, connecting with nothing as Sylvain disappeared into shadow. Ashe scrambled out of the fray, bottle cradled in his arms as Felix whipped around, trying to spot Sylvain. The shadows were long at night, much of the grounds completely covered. Felix let out a frustrated yell.

"Who're you calling a coward? Come out and fight me!" Nothing. Felix grabbed his jacket and threw it back on, getting ready to go inside and hunt him down. Ashe let out a surprised squeak as the bottle lifted from his hands by an unseen force, tottering away about five feet from the ground. Felix pulled a small throwing needle from his jacket - which he successfully managed to take back from the armory - and threw it directly at the bottle, snagging on an invisible fabric. Felix jumped in just as Sylvain phased back, punching him in the side of the head. He hit the wall hard, a few satisfying cracks heard as Felix started wailing on him. Ashe came to his senses quickly and rushed over, pulling Felix's arms back and letting Sylvain slip to the ground. Felix was breathing hard, his eyes trained on the other man as his wounds healed, his skull reformed, and his black eye slowly evaporated.

"Ouch. Can't say I didn't try." He let the bottle rest on the ground as he got back up, hand waving to Ashe to let go.

"B-but-"

"Relax," Sylvain said, folding his hands behind his head. "He's done." Ashe obediently let go, Felix's arms falling back to his sides. He had a threatening snarl on his face, the hair that fell from his ponytail during training now trailing in front of his face. Sylvain reached a hand to brush them from his eyes, and Felix made no move to stop him. "Right?"

Felix turned and left without saying a word. Ashe frowned and looked up at Sylvain, concern washing over his face. "Is he going to be okay?" Sylvain shrugged and put a hand on Ashe's shoulder.

"He's off to go brood somewhere. I'm sure his Highness will take care of it."

Felix was running through the hallways with murder on his mind. He wasn't ready to kill Dimitri, not even close, but he needed to go there and yell at him. He let his mind drift and his feet take him to the King's quarters, running headfirst into a massive body in front of him. He looked up and frowned at Dedue.

"My apologies, Lord Fraldarius."

"Get out of my way." Dedue stepped aside obediently, but held the door shut as Felix went to push it open.

"May I ask what your intentions are with the King?"

"No, you may not." His tone was filled with acid, ready to jump on Dedue if he had to. The staredown went on for a couple beats until Dimitri opened the door, looking curiously at Dedue.

"I heard you talking out here and - oh, hello Felix." Dimitri offered a small smile, which only made Felix's frown deepen. He ducked under Dedue's arm, pushed Dimitri backwards into the room, and shut the door with his foot in one solid motion. Dimitri regained his footing and sighed. "Dedue, I'm sorry, give me just one moment." Dimitri folded his arms and looked at the angry little man, trying to figure out what happened.

"I'm sick of this fucking place." Felix pushed past Dimitri and through the antechamber, practically leaving fire in each step. "I am sick of you, of Sylvain, of all of your dumb lackeys. I want to kill you and get this whole charade over with." Dimitri hung in the doorframe and watched Felix throw his coat on the ground, collapsing in Dimitri's chair and putting his head in his hands.

"Okay … can I ask what you are doing right now then?"

"Feeling like shit."

"In … my room?" Felix grumbled as a response, his fingers raking against his scalp. Dimitri carefully made his way over and took a seat on the arm of the chair. Felix didn't budge. "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"No." Dimitri's brow furrowed, placing a hand on Felix's shoulder.

"I can't do very much if you won't tell me what's wrong."

"_This_-" Felix batted the hand off his shoulder and locked eyes with Dimitri, eyes burning, "is what's wrong! You all treat me like a child and I am sick of it!" His fangs were bared and he looked nearly beside himself, as if he would burst into tears at any moment.

"What did Sylvain say."

"He called me a coward, and I am _not_ a coward!" Dimitri rested his head against the back of the chair and tried desperately not to rip his hair out. He knew Sylvain was a master of pushing buttons, but Dimitri wished he wasn't left to clean up the messes.

"I am sure you do not need me to tell you that you are not a coward." His hand snuck into Felix's hair and smoothed it down, Felix unconsciously resting his head on Dimitri's shoulder.

"Why do you do this?" Dimitri's hand had slid to the side of Felix's hair, idly twirling a piece of hair between his fingers.

"Hm?" Felix huddled in closer, feeling heat rush to his face.

"Why are you … so nice to me?" Dimitri hummed in thought.

"I think that is what you would like, Felix. It's hard to say, but I know when I get upset, it's nice to know someone cares about you." Felix nodded, feeling his mind start to fog as he took in Dimitri's scent. He smelled like freshly cut wood and warm spice, intoxicating Felix's senses. "May I sit down?" Felix was shaken from his minor daze and nodded, moving so Dimitri could take the bulk of the seat, slotting a leg absentmindedly between his.

"It is … nice." Dimitri slipped his arm around Felix's waist and placed a hand on his cheek, pressing kisses along the opposite side of his face.

"You know, it is just us tonight. I could help you take your mind off all this." Felix gave no response other than to cup the hand on his face and hold tight, his face growing hotter by the moment. "You fed tonight, right?" Felix nodded. "I can't imagine how you've been dealing with the rush afterwards." Felix grit his teeth and looked down at the ground.

"Not … well." Dimitri chuckled softly, breath warm on Felix's face.

"Let me help you." A suggestion, though not of the psychic kind. The hand around Felix's waist tugged at his waistband, thumb rubbing circles on his hip bone. Felix's breath caught and he nodded, feeling himself strain against his pants. Dimitri tilted Felix's face to him and leaned in for a long, languid kiss, gripping his hips hard and leaving fresh bruises as he moved on. Felix gasped against his mouth as Dimitri pulled his pants down, palming against his smallclothes. Felix had been neglecting himself, just willing any urges he had away with vigorous training. To be touched, even indirectly, left him a shuddering mess in Dimitri's arms. Even the gentlest of touches were heavy handed, making Felix's eyelids flutter at the mix of pleasure and pain.

Dimitri pulled off his underwear and freed Felix to the cool night air, Felix huddling closer for warmth and rubbing himself up against Dimitri's shirt. He was now fully in the man's lap, arms resting on Dimitri's shoulders and bracing on the back of the chair. Dimitri rested his head on Felix's shoulder, kissing along his neck.

"You look beautiful." Felix seemed unable to give a response, gasping at each little kiss. "Do you want to stay here? Or move to the bed?" Felix just nodded, which was not a proper response, but remained sitting. Dimitri leaned back against the chair and smirked. "All right then. Undress for me." Felix got up and sat on the bed to take off his boots, kicking them aside as he peeled off his trousers and turtleneck. He was left bare, getting back on Dimitri's lap and feeling his blush spread across his entire body. Dimitri's hands explored his torso, tracing little scars with his finger. A hand finally rested on Felix's member, thumbing the slit and making Felix see stars. Dimitri ran a palm over the slick and gave Felix a few pumps, causing him to gasp and moan against his chest. He was slow but tight fisted, careful but forceful. Felix heard a whimper leave his throat and clenched his jaw tight to stop the noise from coming back out.

Dimitri pressed their foreheads together, Felix refusing to look up as he bucked into Dimitri's hand, worried if he opened his mouth he'd beg. Dimitri's free hand trailed down and cupped Felix's rear, giving it a squeeze and causing Felix to almost jump off his lap. Dimitri just laughed against Felix's mouth as he kissed him, running a thumb between his cheeks and pressing against him. Felix's whole body responded like putty in Dimitri's hands. "Get the oil out of the side table." Felix broke away from Dimitri for a few moments to lean over to the bedside table, pulling the small bottle out. With his lap somewhat freed, Dimitri pulled his own dick out, stroking it idly. Felix came back and handed him the bottle, gently sandwiching himself between Dimitri's chest and his member. He uncorked the bottle and got a few fingers slicked, leaning away to set it aside. He braced a free hand on Felix's forearm and pressed a slippery finger against him, his own breath hitching.

Felix pressed his body up against Dimitri as the finger pushed in, unable to help himself as he let out a moan. He worked him carefully, not sure how much Felix had done before. He pressed in a second and found little issue, spreading his fingers a bit to make sure he was pliable. Felix's head had craned back, creating a curve along his back so beautiful that Dimitri wanted to write poetry about it. He settled for hungrily moving his hands along every inch, feeling Felix's toned muscles clench and shudder under each touch. Felix gathered enough sense to swat the hand away, fumbling to grab the oil again. Dimitri couldn't hold back his grin. "Thank you." He uncapped it again and coated his hand, reaching around to coat his cock. As soon as Felix sensed he was done, he reached a hand behind himself and grabbed the base, holding tight to angle himself into Dimitri. "Wow." His lashes fluttered at the touch, appreciating Felix's enthusiasm.

"Shut up." The insult had no bite, he was too far gone to mean any harm. Dimitri felt himself pressing against Felix and took hold of his waist, guiding him down slow. He got about halfway, pulled back, and slammed down hard. Dimitri tried not to tear up, the sensation hitting him all at once. Somehow Felix had regained some presence of himself and was riding Dimitri hard, head buried in his shoulder as he let out a series of wanton moans. Dimitri met his hips at each thrust, taking in all of Felix as he braced himself on the chair and fucked himself. Dimitri would murmur little words of praise under his breath in between grunts, calling him beautiful, incredible, too much. Felix was sweating all over, most of the hair having fell out of his ponytail, covering his face and neck as he rode Dimitri. A few more thrusts and Dimitri saw white, bucking in far as he finished in him. He brushed his hand against Felix and gripped his member, pumping him quick to feel him tighten up and release, coating his hand and his own chest.

Felix was breathing hard, letting out a noise as Dimitri slipped out of him. "Well that was … that was lovely." Dimitri laughed to himself, looking back at Felix and hoping he earned a little eye contact. Felix did meet his gaze, pupils blown wide and his face flushed. "Feeling better?" He nodded and got out of Dimitri's lap, wobbling as he braced himself on the bed.

"I feel disgusting now." Felix teetered to the bathroom to clean himself off, coming back to throw himself onto the bed. He curled himself up in the covers, turning a glare with no malice to Dimitri. He had been stretching his legs, removing his own clothes to join Felix in bed. He slipped off his patch and placed it on his bedside table, pulling the covers free enough to slide in next to Felix.

"Spending the night with me?" Felix grumbled, nuzzling into the pillows.

"Got a problem with that?" Dimitri wrapped his arms around him, shaking his head and drifting off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Sylvain kiss and make up.   
(NSFW)

Dimitri sat at a long table, Claude directly facing him and Edelgard at his flank. The three had come in to discuss next steps in their hunt for Those Who Slither in the Dark, and had agreed to convene in Fhirdiad. Dimitri had all of his Emissaries sitting behind him, with Felix sitting next to him. 

Claude brought two of his wards, Lorenz and Hilda. Dimitri wasn't sure exactly why Claude brought Hilda, she very rarely made contributions in these sort of meetings and never took any notes. Lorenz, on the other hand, was an incredibly useful vassal to Claude, frequently bringing in the right questions, having data prepared, and taking studious notes. Dimitri found it interesting that Claude was much younger than both of his vassals, with Lorenz being significantly older. None of them seemed terribly bothered by that, so Dimitri paid it no mind as well.

Edelgard came only with Hubert, opting to leave Ferdinand at home for some reason or another. In truth, she only needed Hubert to assert her status within the group. Hubert was the oldest vampire any of them knew of, and was the only vampire he had ever met who could still do magic. His magic was different, as it carried some sort of taint to it, but he could give no reason as to why he still had the magic in the first place. Dimitri tried to keep his gaze off Edelgard. He had already learned the truth some time ago: it was not Edelgard who was responsible for killing his father, but his step mother who orchestrated the event to bring Edelgard back to the Kingdom. Despite this, he could still feel the weight on his chest of everyone he lost, whispering to him that she needed to die.

"All right, before we begin, does anyone have anything urgent to bring up?" Dimitri spoke first, sitting up to unfurl the map across the table, leaving the little figures for each of them to place in case their information was more current than his own. Lorenz and Hubert both grabbed a handful of figures and began scattering them across each of their respective territories. "All right, then let us begin. My Emissaries have noticed nothing, other than small, disorganized rebellions within the capital."

"Even whispers are dangerous," Hubert began. "I advise you remove them post haste." Hubert had a tough hand with these things, Dimitri only pursed his lips and nodded in thought. Dedue had mentioned his own men had infiltrated and found nothing of note, but it may be in their best interest to avoid anything getting too big too fast. 

"A beast was also felled in your territory. We were unable to gather data, was it anything of concern?" Hubert sat down and flipped through his own notes, shaking his head.

"Nothing of concern. Just a flying beast too close to the border." Thankfully not a crest beast. Dimitri breathed a sigh of relief. He looked over the finished map, placing the remainder of the figures along his own borders, then a colored piece in Dagda.

"My Emissaries predict they are waiting on a strike in Dagda. They likely have an army, but nothing to compete against the might of all of Fodlan. I have received no information outside of these predictions of next moves, if you all have anything to add and if we should be preparing for a siege, I am all ears." Lorenz cleared his throat, placing a long finger on a figure sitting along the Gloucester border.

"We believe they may be creating dissidents here in Gloucester. If your minor Fhirdiad rebellions and the dissidents have anything in common, I fear they are working to unwind each of our major territories to keep us occupied." Dimitri nodded, placing a figure in Fhirdiad for good measure. Claude spoke up, a hand on his chin. 

"Our dissident issue is small though, and his Highness didn't seem too worried about his rebellion issues either. I have a hunch they're unrelated, at least to these guys. I suspect it's more likely relevant to our alliance than it is to our enemy." Dimitri agreed with the thought, as it matched Dedue's initial report. Just various, small groups of people unhappy with the alliance. Hubert shook his head, but added nothing. 

"So the question is," Edelgard spoke up, and Dimitri averted his gaze. "Do we begin mounting a strike on Dagda, or do we wait. Gentlemen?" She looked to Claude and Dimitri.

"I am for a strike on Dagda." Dimitri spoke first. "Do we know for sure we are ready to do so? We each have some inkling to their power, but not enough to say if the victory is assured."

"It likely would be the first strike of many." Hubert spoke up again, his face looking dark. "There are more than we know of, and just because they seem centered in Dagda does not mean cutting off the head will kill the beast." Dimitri let out a sigh and nodded.

"I think the strike is a good idea." Claude spoke next, leaning forward out of his seat and pointing to Dagda on the map. "We know Arundel and Cornelia are stationed there. But no one has heard from the Death Knight." Both men turned their attention to Edelgard, who did not flinch at their gaze.

"The Death Knight has been disposed of." Well this was new. Hubert only grinned and laced his fingers on the table. Mercedes gasped into her hand, but said nothing. 

"Keep your focus on Arundel." Claude and Dimitri nodded to each other.

"Then the question is, who are we sending for the assault. I can send Sylvain, Ingrid, and Felix here." He smiled at Felix and placed a hand on his back, waking him from the hardened focus he had on the map. Hilda perked up and smiled at Felix.

"You seem new! Welcome to the war room, sorry it's so boring." She giggled and Lorenz glared, Felix giving a short nod in response.

"We will be bringing cavaliers, flyers, and footsoldiers then." He spoke up, looking to each of the other heads of state. "That means we would be lacking in magic users and healers, along with front linemen who can take incoming attacks. Can each of you pledge something from those groups?" Dimitri was impressed to see Felix talk so fluently on army tactics and necessary provisions, considering he had been alone in the woods for a few years. Hilda gave a wide grin and slid her hand into the center of the table.

"We've got front line soldiers! Raph's team would be great for that, dont'cha think Claude?" Dimitri was surprised, Hilda rarely spoke much during these meetings except to mention that she was bored and they were all very lame. Hubert made eye contact with Felix and nodded.

"I can arrange a magic envoy for you to work with. Am I to assume you will be heading this front?"

"Yes." Dimitri couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. The Fraldarius line was the shield of Faerghus, and Felix seemed to be settling into that role brilliantly. Edelgard seemed less impressed.

"You are sending a fledgling? To a war? That seems a little irresponsible, your highness." She seemed ready to call him brother, but held her tongue. Dimitri had been about to speak up, but Felix interjected.

"Someone needs to clean up this mess, and it seems our elders here have been taking their time. It's been time for a new tactic." Claude grinned and turned to Hilda, whispering something and then turning to face them both.

"I think it's a great idea. Plus, his highness is contributing two other Emissaries that are much older anyway, I'd say that covers any need for babysitting. But something tells me you won't need that, eh Felix?" Claude gave him a wink and Dimitri could sense Felix trying to stop himself from snapping. He was being remarkably well behaved.

"Well, it seems I am outnumbered. Such is the downside of an alliance." She leaned on the table, looking over Felix carefully. She turned back to Hubert and they communicated in quick, flashing hand signs, a language they seemed to develop to avoid eavesdropping. Edelgard seemed to get upset, but relaxed as Hubert stood up. 

"So, we are all in agreement that we lay siege to Dagda then?" Each head of their nation stood, Edelgard making a quick gesture at her side before looking away. "Then I will be in contact with you, Felix." With that, the representation of the Empire left. Claude leaned back in his seat, Lorenz letting out a long exhale. 

"Von Vestra at his finest. As always." He licked his lips nervously and turned to Felix. "Should we really be sending humans to this siege? Magic I understand, and Raphael is a powerful ally, but he is susceptible to death."

"Yeah, so are we. Just more complicated. Plus, Raph is built like a brick house. It'll take a lot to take him down." He clasped a hand on Lorenz's shoulder and gave a toothy grin. "Plus, Hilda can keep him company!" Hilda let out a long groan and rested her upper half on the table.

"I thought suggesting Raph was such a good idea, I'll only get in his way! Plus, I'm too pretty to be in a siege."

"Me too, but we all make sacrifices." Sylvain spoke up from behind Dimitri, flashing his usual smile and wink to Hilda. She smiled back and kicked her feet under the table. 

"Does that mean you'll keep me safe, Sylvain? So safe that you won't even need me?" Claude barked a laugh and stood up, excusing himself and his vassals. Dimitri let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.

"So … we will be laying siege on Dagda." Felix seemed much more interested in this meeting, analyzing the map carefully. 

"Have any of you been?" Everyone shook their head and Felix frowned. 

"Dagda isn't part of Fodlan, so it isn't very easy to get there. It also requires crossing an entire ocean, not even mentioning our aversion to water. It will be a long siege, but with the assistance of the Adrestian Empire, and perhaps Brigid, it should not be challenging." Dimitri paused in his explanation, a hand to his chin in thought. "Now that I think about it, the Emperor did not mention Brigid once. I did hear that the Queen declared independence very recently from the Empire, but I would be surprised if the two did not continue relations." Sylvain put a hand on Felix's shoulder and leaned in, a big smile on his face.

"Sounds like we got a trip ahead of us, Fe! You, me, and a boat full of beautiful women." Felix rolled his eyes and folded his arms. Sylvain elbowed Ingrid and grinned at her, Ingrid rolling her eyes. "Eh? You ready to board the Love Cruise? I promise there is enough of me to go around." Ingrid groaned and pressed a hand against his face, shoving him away as Annette and Mercedes broke out into giggles.

"Lindhart will likely be there, if the Empire is sending magic users." Mercedes mentioned.

"And Dorothea!" Annette piped up, eyes sparkling. "She's wonderful!" Sylvain sighed dreamily.

"She sure is." Annette ran over and twisted his ears, causing Sylvain to whine and complain while the women in the room laughed.

Felix sighed and looked to Dimitri. "Will you be joining us?" Dimitri shook his head.

"Unlikely. I have plenty of Emissaries still present here, but I don't feel right leaving the nation anymore. It feels irresponsible." Felix had no argument for that, reaching to touch Dimitri's thigh under the table and settled for placing a fist there.

"Don't do anything stupid."

"I promise I will be right where you left me." He smiled at Felix, who huffed and looked off at the wall. "When is this all happening anyway?" Dimitri shrugged.

"Whenever I receive the troops from them, I can send you all out. We'll likely receive letters announcing their arrival so I can make sure Ingrid isn't stuck here with us for too long." Ingrid seemed to snap out of her thoughts, nodding as her name was spoken. Dimitri sat up and brushed himself off, offering a hand to Felix. Felix grabbed it instinctively at first, remembering others were around and throwing it back at Dimitri and getting up on his own. Sylvain snickered behind them. As Dimitri was getting ready to leave the room, he spotted a letter left on Claude's chair. He quickly pocketed the letter as he made his way out of the war room.

The group exited the room together, Sylvain taking ahold of Felix's arm and pulling him aside. His ridiculous smirk had left and he seemed somewhat more serious than usual. "Hey, I wanted to apologize about the other day. I pushed way more than I should've. Sorry, Fe." Felix's frown didn't budge. He wasn't sure if he could trust this apology, as he did not think Sylvain said anything in earnest ever. Felix ripped his arm from Sylvain's grip and went to keep walking, but was stopped again. "Come on, man. I mean it, really. What do you want me to say here?"

"Nothing. I do not want your apology." Felix kept his eyes anywhere but on Sylvain, who seemed to quickly be growing frustrated with this conversation.

"Really? Why can't you just back down for like, a second and let someone be nice to you?"

"I don't need your fake sympathy!"

"I'm not faking shit!" They were both yelling now, faces close and glaring full force at one another. At this point, the group of Emissaries and Dimitri had stopped to watch from the sidelines. "Maybe this shit was helpful for you in the woods, but you have to get along with others when you're around civilization!"

"I would still be in the woods if you all hadn't abducted me!" Felix bared his fangs as he spoke with so much anger he nearly shook. The air between the two had become thick with emotion.

"You'dve been dead if I had my way! You rude little-"

"That is enough." Dimitri had a hand on Sylvain's shoulder, tight enough that he had to pull back from the staredown. Sylvain tried to storm off, but Dimitri's grip was ironclad. "Felix, Sylvain is trying to be nice."

"I don't care. I don't have time for 'being nice' or 'apologies'." Felix tried to walk away as well, Dimitri throwing a glance back to the group of spectators. Without a single word shared between the two, Dedue took Felix into a bearhug, lifting him off the ground enough to keep him from going anywhere. Dimitri rubbed at the bridge of his nose with his free hand and tried to calm the headache he felt blooming in his skull.

"Let's bring them back to my quarters, Dedue." In a swift motion, Dimitri heaved Sylvain into a fireman's carry, the two walking back to the room while Felix and Sylvain threw out various curses and insults. 

Once the door was closed behind them, Dimitri placed Sylvain on the ground and rang for an attendant. "You two can't be fighting like wet cats on a boat to Dagda with Empire and Alliance soldiers, so this needs to be nipped in the bud. Now." Sylvain and Felix, now with both feet on the ground, refused to look at one another from across the table. Dimitri took a moment to place his head on Dedue's shoulder and sigh before letting in the attendant and retrieving a steaming pot of tea. 

Sylvain started up first. "He doesn't want my apology. Why bother?" Dimitri poured them both a cup, his eyes moving to Felix.

"Is there a reason you are choosing not to accept the apology, Felix? I know Sylvain can be a handful, but he is genuine." Felix took the cup and held it in front of his mouth as if to hide the obvious frown.

"He has not once shown me that quality. Why should I take his word?" Dimitri leaned in and stroked Felix's hair and offered a sincere smile.

"If not his word, then take mine: I promise you that Sylvain is genuinely sorry for what was said." Sylvain took a long sip and nodded.

"That is what I said." Dimitri shot him a look and he held up his hands in defense. Felix only managed a grumble in response. The room stood in silence, all waiting on some sort of affirmation on Felix. 

"Fine," Felix lamented, his cup clinking against the saucer. "I accept your apology. Don't do it again."

"Clearly this much blowback isn't worth it, so I think we're in the clear on that." Dimitri would have wanted to chide the two, but this was the best he was ever going to get. 

"Thank you, Sylvain. And thank you too, Felix." He pressed a kiss to the top of Felix's head, then to the top of Sylvain's hand. "Can we put this behind us?" Sylvain gave a weak smirk and leaned in, tapping his cheek with his finger. 

"Only if I get a kiss." Felix gave Dimitri a haggard expression, who seemed to be hiding a smile behind his hand.

"Come on, Felix, just play nice." Felix leaned in to press a quick peck to Sylvain's cheek, Sylvain spinning his face around to catch him on the lips. Felix pulled back with a frown.

"You would be so much more tolerable if you weren't such an idiot."

"Aww, that was almost a compliment, Fe!" Felix gave no response, leaving Sylvain to laugh on Dimitri's shoulder. Dedue sat down with the group and poured himself a cup, taking a sip as all three registered his presence.

"Your highness. I will be returning to my station this evening. I imagine the other Emissaries will be as well, with the exception of Ingrid." Dimitri waved a hand dismissively.

"She is welcome to return to the southern border, since her trip back to the capital is much speedier than the others." He leaned over the table to give Dedue a long, loving kiss as he pressed their foreheads together. "Travel safely, my friend."

"Anything for you, your highness." With that, he finished his cup and left. Felix folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"What a kissass." Dimitri frowned at Felix, putting two and two together.

"Is there a problem with Dedue?"

"I have no respect for subordinates." Dimitri shook his head in disagreement.

"Dedue is not simply a subordinate. He saved my life, when I was to be executed for accused regicide. He risked his life to save me. He is my most trusted ward." Felix seemed unimpressed by Dedue's accolades, looking away from the King.

"Whatever. I don't like him."

"Oh, come on. You're just jealous-" Sylvain started in, Dimitri's breath hitching in immediate fear. They had only just resolved this, why did Sylvain have to shove his foot so deep into his own throat at every given opportunity.

"So what if I am?" The other men gaped at Felix's admission. He rarely gave them any leeway, this had to be a first. "Maybe I don't like sharing." Sylvain placed a hand on Felix's and gave a grin so dangerous it practically reached his ears.

"Then don't share. Take what's yours, Fraldarius. But you've got a whole lot of us to get through first." Felix was unshaken by the threat.

"You I don't mind. You're not a threat." Sylvain sucked on his bottom lip, running a tongue across it without thinking. 

"Prove it." Felix grabbed Sylvain by the back of his head and slammed him against his own face, kissing him hard as the teapot shook on the table. Sylvain hiked a knee up on the table to get in closer, his hands diving into Felix's hair and pulling it free. The two continued to kiss, interrupted by a soft hum from Dimitri. Sylvain pulled away, lips swollen and hair mussed, to see the king sitting back in his chair, tea to his lips and his eyes half lidded as he watched the two.

"Don't mind me, please. I'm just enjoying the view." His fingers drummed on the cup as Felix yanked Sylvain back in for another kiss. Felix kissed him like he was starving, like he hadn't eaten in months. Sylvain tried to match his intensity as best as possible, but found himself enjoying as the other man dominated him. He pulled back and ran a tongue across his chewed up lips, eyes glancing to the King's Quarters. 

"Your highness, mind if we move this discussion to your quarters?"

"Not at all." Felix got up immediately headed over, beginning to unbutton his shirt. Sylvain could only run a hand through his own hair to attempt to calm it down, eyes looking over Felix's body. Sylvain entered the room and Felix had removed his shoes, sitting on the bed with his hair at his shoulders and his eyes like a mix of lust and anger that made Sylvain swallow hard. He certainly could understand why Dimitri liked him, minus his sharp tongue and Felix's constant desire to hit things until his arms fell off. He pressed a hand against the small of Felix's back and kissed him again, forcing their bodies together. Felix sounded like he had tried to moan into the kiss, but stopped himself mid way and grunted instead. 

He took hold of Sylvain's forearms and pulled him onto the bed, their legs tangling as Sylvain's body was now on top of him. Felix broke the kiss to press kisses along his neck, Sylvain's breath hitching along the way. Felix punctuated the last kiss by sinking his fangs in and Sylvain actually keened, practically going limp on top of him. Felix didn't drink, one taste was enough to remind him that drinking blood a second time was never worthwhile. He let Sylvain's blood drip down his shoulder, roughly pulling up on his shirt and raking his nails down his sides.

"You are so weak." Felix spoke in a breathy whisper, as if he wasn't enjoying himself just as much as Sylvain was. Every touch was like electricity on his skin, Sylvain was about ready to lose his mind. Felix had managed to get Sylvain on his back and was between his legs, pulling off his pants and smallclothes in a few short tugs. Sylvain laid there, exposed and covered in red marks, breathing hard.

"You got a plan down there?" 

"Does nothing shut you up?" Felix held the meat of his thighs in each hand, resting his head against Sylvain's knee. 

"I could think of a few ways that'll work." Felix placed slow, soft kisses down his leg, making Sylvain gasp each time. His head was buried in pillows, undone before Felix had even touched him. He ghosted a single finger along Sylvain, watching his erection twitch. He slid his palm against the tip, making Sylvain moan and reach weakly for Felix. Felix obliged and left his perch, leaning back in and letting Sylvain grip onto his back and kiss him hard, moans swallowed between them. Felix kept his hand below and stroked slow and easy, Sylvain bucking up into his grip. "Fuckin' tease." He spoke into Felix's mouth, and the bastard responded with a smirk.

"You won't need any more than this." So confident for a man who had likely been restricted to jerking off for the past few years. But Sylvain was in no position to argue, literally and figuratively. Felix had a hand on his face and nipped at his ear, rubbing up against Sylvain's thigh while he stroked him. This continued, Sylvain becoming more desperate for release as time went on. Felix gently thumbed at his slit, precum dripping along his hip bone. Sylvain weakly knocked Felix's hand away and took it in his own hands, visibly shaking. 

"What do you want …?" His voice was raspy from moaning constantly, and his eyes showed hunger and desperation. Felix looked up at him, so innocent.

"To prove a point." With that, Felix sat up and began buttoning his shirt. Sylvain sat up quickly, his face painted with disbelief. Felix had moved himself to the edge of the bed, reaching for his boots.

"Damn. And I thought I was the lady-killer." He looked down at himself, debating if it was worth it to finish himself off or just let disappointment kill whatever boner he had left. Dimitri made the first noise he had made since he had moved to the doorway to continue watching, his face mirroring Sylvain's. Felix pushed past him and Dimitri found he had no words for this situation. He stopped, just before he went to leave the antechamber, and turned back to them both.

"I'll be in my quarters. It seems my work for the evening is done." Sylvain rested his head against the backboard of the bed, glancing at Dimitri as he walked over and sat on his bed.

"Did you put him up to that?" He wrapped a hand around himself and began pumping mindlessly, eyes up on the ceiling.

"Absolutely not. That was … a lot."

"It was hot as fuck and I am a little mad about it." Sylvain couldn't get the visual of Felix between his legs from out of his head, thinking about what he would have done if he had stayed there for just a few minutes longer. Imagining his head bobbing up and down, a hand tangled in those long, navy blue waves. Sylvain finished quickly, bringing a hand up to lick at the ejaculate.

"You can just go wash your hands."

"As if the King's bed hasn't seen its fair share of my cum."

"You know, you are so wretched." Dimitri took off his cloak and draped it along the back of his chair, reaching into his nightstand for his journal. Sylvain kept him company into the early hours as Dimitri wrote in silence, getting up to leave once he noticed him begin to nod off. Sylvain could only hope Felix was in just as much sexual pain as he was after that cocktease of the century, but he didn't want to risk going to his quarters and getting a sword in the gut. He probably missed all the fun anyway while he was enjoying Dimitri's company.

All Sylvain knew was that the trip to Dagda would certainly be an eventful one.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix isn't sure he's ready to leave Fhirdiad without the King.

Felix had refused to leave Dimitri alone for the last few days, even forgoing training to spend time with him. Dimitri had no qualms and quite enjoyed the company, it made him reminisce about the times when Glenn or Rodrigue would stay so close, acting as his advisor. Felix currently had his head in Dimitri's lap, the King's hand playing with loose dark hair. He told himself it was just because Felix would miss him on the siege, but that was likely a pipe dream.

"What was your mother's full name?"

"Loretta Foucault."

Dimitri hummed, twirling a lock of hair between his fingers. Felix's eyes were half shut, lazily looking up at him. He was so beautiful it made his heart ache. "What was she like?"

"Kind. Tough, but kind. She taught me most of my weapon work." Dimitri nodded, leaning his head down as Felix teased a piece of blonde hair from his own loose ponytail.

"My mother died during childbirth. I had a stepmother, but she was murdered when my father was." Felix gave no response, playing with the hair a bit longer before letting it fall, his hand lingering by Dimitri's face. Dimitri rested his face against it. "I had quite liked her, but it seems she was the one who orchestrated the senseless murder. I hated her after that for a long time. I still do some nights."

"Do you know your mother's name?" Dimitri blinked, racking his mind for it.

"... Diane, I believe. Goddess, it's been so long." He pulled his hand free from Felix's hair and leaned back, eye looking up at the ceiling. "Over 400 years. Father had always told me she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on." Felix rolled onto his side, nose resting against Dimitri's stomach.

"Did he tell you about her?"

"Mm, only a little." He tried to stir up any memories of his father, the paintings he had seen of his mother, anything to piece together. "He said she would sing in the courtyards. He used to sing me the lullabies she had sung to him, or at least that was what he told me." He laughed, scraping at the back of his brain for any lyric, even a tune. "But I think I have forgotten it all. Lost to time, it seems." He felt the sensation of Felix's nose scrunching against him, looking back down to place his hand in his hair again.

"You're probably a terrible singer anyway."

"Guilty as charged." Dimitri laughed aloud, shaking his head. "I imagine I'm in good company?"

"Mmhm. I can't sing for shit." A ghost of a smile crossed his face, mostly hidden. "You really can't come?" His voice was small, soft, almost as if he was talking to himself.

"Felix, I … I really can't. If I could spend every second with you, I would. But such is the burden of being king." Felix only grumbled and folded his arms, burying his face in Dimitri's stomach. "That doesn't even bring up that the journey to Dagda crosses through Empire lands." Dimitri's mouth tightened into a line. Felix rolled back and looked up at him curiously.

"You two aren't at war anymore." Dimitri's free hand balled into a fist.

"The only thing keeping me from separating her head from her body is Claude von Reigan. I respect him too much to sully this alliance. And for that to work, I need to keep my interactions with the Emperor at a minimum. I don't trust myself." Felix looked unimpressed with the admission.

"Always a beast." He sat up and palmed around for his hair tie, pulling his hair away from his neck and tying it back into its usual ponytail. Dimitri pressed a small kiss to the now exposed nape, placing a hand on his waist.

"I promise I will be here when you return. We can write letters while you are away if you like." Felix tried to work his mouth around the words but found nothing came out, just nodding and keeping his eyes trained on the wall. "What's on your mind?"

"A lot." Felix spoke quickly, but with no bite in his tone. Dimitri rested his chin on Felix's shoulder and glanced up at him.

"Care to share?" He was tense, as if he was trying not to breathe. Felix stayed like this for a few painfully silent moments before letting out a small, shaky exhale.

"Why do you care so much?" Dimitri looked confused, sitting up and gently pulling on Felix so they faced one another.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

"I'm not very nice to you. Or anyone. I don't know why you think I deserve so much of your time and effort." The words began tumbling out, and Felix looked like he was battling emotions that hadn't had names for a long time. Dimitri placed a hand on his cheek and offered a gentle smile.

"You do deserve time and effort."

"Why?" Felix wanted to break eye contact, wanted to shove these feelings back where they had been sitting comfortably for all of these years. Dimitri thumbed a tear that had fallen down his cheek.

"I don't need a reason. I just know that you do deserve time and effort, and I am willing to give it. Is that all right?"

"Yeah." Felix bat Dimitri's hand away and scrubbed at his face with his palm, trying to hide a sniffle. "Sure." He spun himself back away and swallowed whatever else his body wanted to betray him with. Dimitri stood up and removed a glove with his teeth, chuckling to himself to rid the air of tense feelings.

"My handwriting has always been atrocious, hopefully you can read it." Felix shook himself out of his daze and laid back on the bed, looking idly at Dimitri.

"Mine is terrible too. Terrible singers and terrible writers. At least we're good at things that matter." He smiled that tiny, fraction of a smile that tugged ever so slightly at the corner of his lips, cheek nestled in the sea of covers and pillows. Dimitri laughed again and fingered through his desk, pulling out various sheets of stationary and pens to write with. He wrapped the bundle up in a neat parcel and placed it in front of Felix's face, looking quite proud of himself.

"Well, we'll just have to get better together. You can take these with you on your trip."

***

Felix had been itching to train, he could feel himself stagnating for the past few days. He had spent most of his days with Dimitri, and he was always busy doing boring King work. Paperwork, discussions with various lords, things that made him want to fall asleep or complain. Once he had dropped off the stack of stationary and pens in his room, he made his way out to the training grounds, finding it had already been set up. He grabbed a sword from the rack and looked to find Sylvain, of all people, practicing stances on a training dummy.

Felix did not think he had ever seen Sylvain out here before, unless it was to chastise him. He stood back and watched, Sylvain turning, jabbing, swinging, spinning, it made Felix want to spar. He made his way to the center of the grounds, Sylvain pausing and resting the length of the lance on his shoulders, breathing hard. "What's up, bud?"

"What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" He pulled the lance back off his shoulders and twirled it, lazily pointing it's tip at Felix. "We got a big battle ahead of us, Fe. If I'm not in top shape, your pretty little face may get nicked. And I can't have that, or His Highness will have my head." He pulled the tip away at Felix's sneer, laughing to himself.

"I don't need protecting."

"Doesn't work like that when you're on a team. Everyone protects each other." Felix rolled his eyes and pulled the sword he had grabbed from the rack out of its sheath, readying himself.

"Well then? Let's see if that practice made you any good." Sylvain's smirk was deadly, bringing his lance up to meet at Felix's blade.

"Sure, why not? Let's have a little fun." As much as Felix chastised Sylvain, the two were evenly matched. They traded blows for a while, until they both decided to switch to brawling. This made for a much more interesting fight: Sylvain was nimble enough on his feet, but didn't move with the same grace as Felix did. Felix, a man who had been ducking and diving from drunken barmen and taking down bandits for most of his life, knew how to avoid a punch thrown with too much weight behind it. Sylvain was holding his own, but found he wasn't going to win on these terms.

Felix sent a suggestion into the back of Sylvain's brain to pause just long enough for him to land a clean punch across his jaw. Sylvain staggered back, working his now dislocated jaw back into place with a few loud clicks. "That's cheating."

"I don't remember there being any rules, Gautier." Felix looked smug, rubbing his thumb against his nose before settling back into his stance.

"All right then, when I deck you with brick fists, don't go crying to His Highness." Sylvain grumbled and they continued their fight. Punches thrown, punches dodged, sweeps to the feet missing as Felix hopped over them with ease. Sylvain let out an annoyed growl as he dove in to grab Felix by the waist and heaved him into the air. Sylvain may not be fast, but he definitely was strong. Felix tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but found no purchase available to him. With all of Sylvain's strength, he slammed him into the ground with a satisfying pile drive, causing Felix to see stars. He rolled free once they were on the ground and waited for his vision to clear, blinking and staggering back to his feet.

"Had enough, Fraldarius?" It was Sylvain's turn to look smug, his hands proudly on his hips.

"I'll settle on a draw for now." Sylvain laughed and slapped Felix's shoulder. Felix had paused, turning back to look at Sylvain with an unanswered question on his mind. "The other day. You said if you had your way, I'd be dead." Sylvain gave a shrug and ruffled Felix's hair, which Felix quickly swatted away.

"You seemed like just another nuisance to me. His Highness told me they killed all of the Hunters a long time ago, we both went on that mission planning to kill whoever was out there. So yeah." Felix had left Sylvain to grab the blade he had tossed aside, sheathing it and resting it back on the weapon's rack. He grabbed his jacket and slipped it back on before turning back to face Sylvain again.

"At least you are honest about something." It felt like a weight on his chest, knowing that one of the King's closest allies had wanted him dead. It made him feel unsafe, even if killing him now was now significantly harder than when he was still human. Sylvain protested, folding his arms.

"You know damn well if his Highness found a hair out of place on your head he would have me executed."

"Unless it were to happen on the battlefield." Felix's eyes were elsewhere, but his words were clear and direct. "You leave me for dead thousands of miles away, with no King to prosecute you. Seems like the perfect plan to me." Sylvain sighed and made his way back up to Felix, offering him a hand.

"Then let me make you a promise." Felix looked down at the hand, then back at Sylvain, vampire-golden eyes piercing into the back of his skull. "I, Sylvain Jose Gautier, of house Gautier, sired by the Margrave Gautier who was sired by his Late Royal Highness Lambert --"

"I get it," Felix cut in. "Get to the point."

"All right, was just trying to be all official." He laughed and rolled his shoulders. "I swear that if you die on the battlefield, it will only be after they cut me down first. There is no killing one of us without killing both of us. How's that sound?" Felix chewed on the proposal for a bit, before taking his hand and giving a shake. "You gotta say it back, bud." Felix flushed and cleared his throat.

"Er. I, Felix Hugo Fraldarius, of house Fraldarius, sired by the Boar -- you get it. I swear your death will not be by my hands on the battlefield. There is no killing one of us without killing both of us." They both shook, Sylvain with a big grin plastered on his face.

"Okay, great! Now I have to show you a little present. I promise you'll like it, it's a sword." Felix took his hand back and tilted his head at the idea, choosing to hide his mild excitement at the thought. He missed his own weapons dearly, it would be nice to have a sword he could call his own again. Sylvain led him to the armory and Felix had to pause and take in the huge display. Weapons of all types decorated the walls and various racks, with the three relics hanging above for all to see. Sylvain had not brought Felix for those, and instead pulled out a beautifully crafted long sword.

"This is a sword made by the blacksmith Zoltan. It is an incredibly well crafted sword, and should be a nice replacement for your old sword. Considering you can't really hold it anymore." Felix chose to ignore the last sentence and instead swiped the sword from Sylvain's hands, admiring its handiwork and weight. He tilted the blade to look down it, running a finger along the flat of the sword.

"Definitely a beautiful sword. A shame I couldn't practice with it." He brought the blade up to Sylvain's chest, then his neck, then sheathed it. "It will do."

"No need to thank me, thank his Highness. He had been trying to get one of those for a long time." Felix reached past him and placed it carefully back on the rack.

"He dotes on me like I am a child. Earlier he gave me _stationary_."

"No, he dotes on you like you're his _lover_." The words made Felix clench his teeth and made him wish the man's jaw was still dislocated. He settled for stomping out of the armory, Sylvain laughing along as he followed behind him. The two eventually made their way to the baths, finding Dimitri relaxing in the group bath. They both slid in with him, attendants rushing over to figure out what they needed. Felix handwaved most of it, still not fully comfortable with a stranger washing his hair.

Dimitri looked over at him, his patch resting next to him. Felix rarely got to see him without it, staring at the large scar and the forced-shut lid hidden by long, wet hair. It seemed to stare back, Dimitri breaking eye contact to smile nervously at nothing. "It would be a little awkward to bathe with it, don't you think?" It was odd how such a powerful man could look so small and delicate, surrounded by the steam of hot water and punctuated by the scents of crushed herbs. He thought about kissing him, entertained it for only a moment, before Sylvain had something stupid to say.

"If you two love birds make too much of a mess, the lovely ladies will be stuck here all night mopping up. Try to be a little considerate to the rest of us lonely fools." They both turned to look at Sylvain in unison, Felix giving him a look of danger and murder while Dimitri just looked tired.

"I will be just fine, thank you."

"I'm about five seconds away from giving them a new mess to clean: your face and blood smeared on the bath house walls."

Sylvain just laughed at them, resting his elbows back on the lip of the bath. "I'm kidding, relax." Felix settled back down against the wall, letting the warm waters sink in and soothe him. He was almost ready to doze off when someone got up, snapping his attention to see Dimitri gathering a towel around himself, a spare towel fluffing out his hair. Felix followed without hesitation, wrapping his hair carefully. Sylvain snorted from behind them, and Felix was tempted to turn around and bash his foot in whatever part of Sylvain was closest. Instead, he kept his gaze on Dimitri as he stretched the patch back over his eye, pushing hair out of the way.

Felix, back in fresh pressed clothes, tagged along with Dimitri to the library, watching him pull out an unaddressed letter. "Claude left this after the meeting. I haven't had a chance to read it over yet, sometimes he leaves these things in ciphers." He pulled out a small book from the mountain of books around them, slipping it under the letter as he skimmed through the contents. Felix waited and watched his neutral expression for any hint to what could be inside.

"What is it?"

"Just notes from the meeting. It looks like he has found out the little hand-talk that Edelgard does, or at least has it mostly translated." He passed the letter over to Felix. "Someone managed to transcribe the conversation, and he left a copy for me to compare with my notes. Here." Felix snatched up the note, pouring over the information.

_E - I am worried about this decision._

_H - Ingrid_ \- written as 'tall blonde' - _will be present. I am not concerned._

_E- He is a liability either way. Will you be going to keep watch?_

_H - I will discuss with Lindhart_ \- written as 'sleepy green' - _but I can go if my Lady wishes._

_E - Please do. I will be safe here._

The conversation was over after that. Felix was a little upset to be seen as a liability, but he figured these old vampires would be prejudiced against young blood, so to speak. Dimitri had mentioned Hubert, despite not being in charge of a nation, was the oldest vampire in the room that day. If Felix cared about that sort of thing, it would certainly be threatening. He passed the letter back and gave a shrug.

"Seems pretty innocent to me."

"Agreed. He may end up trying to run things, I wouldn't argue with him." Felix gave a shrug, not bothered by the potential challenge. He did not see himself as the head of an army, simply the smartest person in a room full of people who refused to take proper action most efficiently. It would be interesting to spend time with the other man, gauge these Empire vampires. Especially one that seemed to make Dimitri's back straighten.

"You really can't come?" He said for the second time today, more insistent than before. Dimitri sighed, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I cannot." Felix grumbled, but said nothing else. Dimitri placed a hand on his arm, leaning in for a kiss and offered Felix a consoling smile. "I will be here. Sylvain will not be too bad. Hubert will not be too bad. You will be fine." With each passing sentence, Felix seemed to relax bit by bit. At the final one, his lower lip passed through his teeth. _Ah_, Dimitri thought. _That was the rub_. "Nervous?"

"No." Felix spoke fast, like he seemed to do when he didn't trust himself to fully think out a sentence. "I guess." Dimitri pressed a kiss to the crown of his head, still damp from the baths.

"I wouldn't have sent you if I did not think you were capable." Felix nodded to himself, the reasoning made some sense.

"I fought occasionally in siege battles as a mercenary. It isn't new to me. Just different." Dimitri had gathered this was the case from his disposition at the meeting. Felix had some knowledge of tactics and armies, but had likely never experienced anything on this scale. Dimitri rubbed his arm, his thumb making slow, meaningful circles.

"I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Yeah." Felix's hint of a smirk appeared. "Sylvain swore he would die if I died, so it'd be a real pain for you if something bad did happen."

Dimitri's face went completely blank. "What."

Felix leaned back, hand on his hip. "I told him it would be all too convenient for him to leave me for dead out there, away from your watchful gaze, so he swore to me that if one of us dies, it's because the other dies first." Dimitri sighed, but could not find too much fault in the promise. As long as it meant they kept one another safe. Dimitri leaned in for one final kiss before the night gave way to dawn, praying he would have another few days to enjoy Felix like this before their trip to the West.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will likely be updating this slightly less frequently with nanowrimo, but I promise I still think about this every waking moment


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Dimitri exchange letters during a siege.

Boar,

We have just left on Ingrid's giant pegasi, and it is horrible.

I hate these massive, ugly winged beasts. Sylvain is riding on horseback with his cavalry unit, but I got stuck riding on these giant flying rat beasts. I hate it and I want to be back on the ground. Luckily, these terrible monsters move with speed, and we were able to reach the Western Ocean very quickly. I think I will opt to ride with Sylvain on the way back, at least then if I retch, I can try to do it on him.

Everyone seems very nervous about getting on the ship. We met up with the Empire battalions (Hubert, Lindhart, and Dorothea), and Dorothea has been laughing at all of us since she got here. If I drown, it is because Sylvain pushed me first.

Write back soon.

Felix Hugo Fraldarius

\---

My dear Felix,

Riding on a Pegasus can be very challenging! Ingrid is a very talented rider and I am sure she kept you and your units very safe. Sylvain's units do move with a similar speed, but flying will always be ideal as it allows you to move over mountains and rivers with ease. It will probably be best to stick with Ingrid.

I am glad you met up with the Empire safely, hopefully everyone is being nice. Do you enjoy anyone's company yet? Lindhart may be an interesting fellow to you; he is incredibly bright but aloof. Actually, you may find that infuriating. I pray you will find someone there that keeps you somewhat content!

The open water is a terrifying place for vampires. We will walk under the seas for an eternity, never finding land or floating back to the surface. Sylvain will not push you, if only because it may bring him too close to the waters. I know you will be careful, but do not do anything rash.

My time at the Manor has been boring as ever. Rodrigue has come back to do the typical Fraldarius advising, and it makes me miss you all the more. He provides excellent input, but he is not quite as enjoyable as you have become. Otherwise, all is quiet on my front. I look forward to hearing more about your exploits, so I can live vicariously through them!

Your Sire,  
Dimitri

\---

Boar,

We have landed on Dagdan soil. I have some interesting stories to tell.

Our boat was attacked by the Brigidian Queen. She leapt from her own ship and the two of us fought for some time on the deck, it was a good experience. Dorothea spotted her and the battle finished, Queen Petra dropping her weapon to embrace the other woman. It turns out they know each other, somehow. I did not question further, as I did not care. Petra had been alerted by the Emperor that we would be passing through her territory, but was unsure of when. She apologized for attacking me, but I did not accept the apology. It was a relief to find another swordsman, and she was incredibly capable.

She agreed to continue with us and offered some Brigidian forces, which has been equally interesting. We have sat and had conversations about fighting style and differences between our lands at length. She speaks the language very well. She taught me a few words in Brigidian, but I think I say them poorly, as she laughs when I say them. Dorothea can speak fluently with her. It is interesting to watch.

I have sparred with Dorothea as well. She is quite good, despite being a mage. It is hard fighting humans now, it feels as though I am fighting a child. It makes me feel sick to think I was once so weak. Despite the shortcomings, she has talent.

Dagda is not welcoming, which is not surprising to anyone. We have been fighting since we landed, and Hubert seems confident this has been all those Slither people's fault. I do not care. The faster I can end this idiotic war, the faster I can return to Faerghus. I do not like it here, it is too hot.

Sylvain and Raphael have been able to make good headway on the front lines. Hubert says Dagdan forces are still weak from when the Empire laid siege on them some time ago. He has been grinning a lot, which unsettles me. I am starting to understand why he makes you all feel so uncomfortable. I assumed it was his age, but he is an unsettling person to his core. I do not like him.

Every day it surprises me how much I can kill without thought. I would say I no longer feel human, but I haven't felt that way in some time. Hilda reminded me I could drink from enemies as well, which has been helpful. I intend to refine my psychic abilities here so I can one day use them most effectively. I will save my intentions for them for another letter. I have run out of ink.

I want to leave.  
Felix Hugo Fraldarius

\---

My dear Felix,

I am overjoyed to hear you met Petra! I knew you would like her, she is a very talented swordsman indeed. From what I know of them, Dorothea's opera troupe used to perform in Brigid, so they likely know each other that way. Brigid was also a vassal state to the Empire, and Petra was frequently on Empire lands. I do not know their relationship, but I imagine Dorothea will tell you if you ask.

Dorothea is a very talented and beautiful woman. She can be a bit like Sylvain in some ways, hiding her true intentions by looking for rich men to wed. But her mind is very sharp, just as sharp as the sword at her side. I can assure you that although she is still human, she is an incredible asset. I would like nothing more than to recruit more magicians to Faerghus, even with this alliance. But I digress.

Please be safe. If I were there, I would slaughter anyone in your way. I have broken three different pens as I write this, and it makes me feel very stupid. But I want you to be safe and return to me. If you didn't come back, I would never forgive myself.

Hubert may tell you very little for your own safety. Trust his instincts, he is a powerful ally. And I agree with your assessment. He is a terrifying man and although I respect him, I wonder how the Emperor can stand by his side. There is something between those two I will never understand.

I wish I could see you, Felix. I wish I could hold you. There is a hole in my heart where you fit so beautifully, and without you here I have felt empty. I feel like a sap for writing such things, but it is the truth. It has made me snap yet another pen, so I must end the letter here. The next pen may splatter the page and ruin my whole letter.

Your sire,  
Dimitri

\---

Boar,

A Dagdan bastard tried to take my fucking arm off the other day. I have never been so furious in my life. Sylvain told me the man crumpled to the ground and ripped the hair from his head because I did something, I do not know what. I spat on him and ended his life. Serves him right for trying to take my blasted arm.

You are a sap. Stop wasting ink on such flowery pleasantries. I miss you too.

Hubert has been giving Hilda and I nightly updates. He says that we should be laying siege on Cornelia's hiding place very soon, and that we have done incredibly well. Hearing praise from him makes my stomach feel hollow, but it does sound genuine. I cannot tell if he is using us for his own gain, reading him makes my head hurt. He is completely impenetrable to my psychic abilities, the one time I tried I left with a migraine and he kept smirking at me all day. I still do not like him.

I do not like having to kill all of these people, but they have been trying to kill us since we got here. The only reasonable response is to fight back.

Raphael is an unusual man. He and I got into some fisticuffs at his request for a small spar, and he is incredibly powerful, even for a human. When he lifts me, I feel like an ant looking down at a golden retriever. He offered me food from his dinner, but I declined. Hilda says he forgets we cannot eat anymore and feels bad we cannot enjoy meat. I agree to some extent, hunting for my meals always provided such a thrill and a sense of accomplishment. I am still able to do that, but it is not the same. To compare a rabbit and a human would be dishonest.

Tomorrow, we will be laying siege on the capital. Hubert seems to think they have nowhere left to run once Dagda has been leveled. Sreng is too far for them to run to. He believes they will try a dangerous magic, but claims he has men on the ground who can repel anything they throw at us. I am unnerved, but ready for this to be over.

Sylvain has been nervous this entire time. He does not make eye contact with me on the battlefield, and has on multiple occasions has gotten very close to knocking me over with that damn horse of his. I value his contribution to the war effort, I do not like when he gets in my way. I think he is taking our promise too seriously, and thinks we must die on the same spear. He is an idiot and I do not know why you keep him around. When we pack up for the evening, he always stands watch when I sleep. I would find it endearing if he wasn't so infuriating.

I am ready for this to be done with.  
Felix Hugo Fraldarius

\---

My dear Felix,

I am glad to hear you are okay. If anyone else tries to hurt you, I will throw on my cloak and stomp to Dagda just to give it the proper beating it deserves. I will be the first vampire to submerge from water to cross onto land and will kill with reckless abandon. No one tries to dismember my wards.

It seems to me you enjoy my flowery pleasantries, Felix! At least to some degree. It warms my heart to know you miss me too. Sometimes I think I hear you in the halls and it makes me ache for you. I cannot wait until you have returned to me, safe and sound. I am not sending you out on any missions for the foreseeable future, as I have been devastated without you here.

I can do nothing but pray for your safety. Reading all of this makes me worry, but I am confident you will be ready and able to bring Faerghus a bloody victory.

Raphael is an unusual fellow indeed. He values strength above many things, in order to protect his family. It is a beautiful thought, and he is a man of valor. However, he can be quite, well. How to put it. He is not a terribly bright man. There is nothing wrong with that, of course! But he is interesting to have a conversation with, that is for sure.

A cornered beast will strike without care for its own safety. I pray when this message reaches you, you will have successfully completed the siege and will be returning home to tell me all about your successes in person. I believe Cornelia and Arundel should be killed, but Hubert may disagree. Do not argue with him, he likely has some plan. Do what must be done so that you return to me in one piece.

I am counting the days without you and wishing to see you soon.

Your sire,  
Dimitri

\---

Dimitri,

We are coming home.

The battle was hard fought, but won. They summoned some kind of terrible beast, but Hubert's forces used magic to take it down. I have now seen his magic for the first time and I do not like it at all. It makes bile come into my mouth and my eyes water. Something about him looks wrong when he casts magic, but I cannot place it. It is nothing like Dorothea's magic.

We captured Cornelia and Lord Arundel. Cornelia was weeping and cursing, Arundel was strangely quiet. Sylvain told Hubert he had orders to bring Cornelia back to Faerghus if she we captured her alive, so she will be coming with us. Hubert did not budge on Arundel. I thought he looked terrifying before, watching him hold the chains that tied the man up will give me nightmares. I am loathe to admit my fear of such a man, but I would be lying if I said I was comfortable with him.

Lindhart gave us a strong brew of herbs which has kept Cornelia knocked out, and every time she regains consciousness someone is tasked with feeding her more of the wretched brew. It feels unusual to slowly poison a person I have never met, but it seems it must be done.

Sylvain seems to be back to his usual annoying self now that all of the battling is done. During the last fight he decided to almost get himself killed saving me from an attack I was ready to deflect, but Lindhart kept him alive. What an idiot.

Ingrid has been calm and resolute the entire trip. I am not excited to get back on her shitty flying animals, but it must be done to get back as quickly as possible. Cornelia will be travelling with Sylvain's unit. Ingrid offered to fly me back over instead of taking the ship and I agreed too fast. She laughed at me and hugged me, and I did not like it. I was too tired to stop her. Being close to her feels confusing. She talks to me like she has known me her entire life. She chastises and laughs at me and it feels wrong somehow, but it also feels like she has always been there.

I rode back with her and we talked about many things. About my father, about you, about my brother. She apologized for speaking out of turn when we first met. A stupid thing to quibble over. Hearing from someone who knew Glenn so well makes me feel emotions I do not need to feel. She told me we share many of the same facial expressions, and I got upset. I apologized, but I don't like how it feels. To be compared to a man who has been dead. I have spent too much time worrying over this.

Ingrid said we have a week and we will be back. I am handing this to the courier as we speak. Hopefully, by the time you read this, the two of us will be back.

Felix Hugo Fraldarius

\---

Since Dimitri had received the last letter, he had been unable to focus on anything. He dismissed Rodrigue back to Fraldarius and had the manor to himself, but did not feel trapped in its massive marble walls as he usually did. No, he was practically beside himself with glee that his vassals would all be coming home safely.

He had been fretting over what to wear, as if anyone truly cared about that sort of thing. His hair was back, he wore a loose white shirt with the front laced up, and black trousers that started just above his naval and disappeared into knee-length black boots. He felt like he looked good, but also felt a little silly. Surely they would all come back sweaty and bloodied and would think him foolish for dedicating so much time to an outfit.

When Felix entered the antechamber for the first time in over a month, he couldn't stop himself from rushing in and pulling the man into a tight embrace. Felix flinched in his grasp before slowly wrapping his arms around Dimitri, his face pressed up against his chest. "I am so glad you are safe." Felix nodded and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Nice to see you too, your Majesty." Sylvain was waiting in the doorframe, a body over his shoulder. Dimitri looked up and bristled visibly.

"She should be in the prisons, Sylvain." His eye had gone dark and his grip on Felix was a little too tight. "I don't want her in my sight." The woman on Sylvain's shoulder let out a drunken warble, her whole body shaking as she coughed and sputtered.

"Don't want to question her first?"

"I will get to that when I am ready. Until then, prisons." Sylvain sighed and signaled to the guard stationed by the door, handing him Cornelia and the large bag of herbs they had been feeding her on the journey back. Dimitri was brought back from his anger as Felix squirmed in his arms, releasing him and feeling a little sheepish. "Sorry." Felix rolled his shoulders a bit, stepping back to get a good look at the King.

"You look ridiculous."

"I am taking that as a compliment." Dimitri smiled and ran a hand through his hair, Felix looking away to hide the blush on his cheeks. Dimitri leaned forward and placed a hand on his cheek, thumbing at it gently. "I expected you to look much worse for wear."

"Just because I didn't have access to your massive baths didn't mean I was going to come back reeking of shit and blood." His tone quickly was dissolving into a more neutral one, his eyes finally meeting with Dimitri's. "It's. It's nice to see you again." His voice was quiet, immediately breaking eye contact look anywhere but into Dimitri's gentle, loving gaze. Dimitri closed the distance between them with a kiss, hungry to taste Felix on his lips again.

"Words cannot describe how good it is to see you."

Dimitri pressed their foreheads together and moved his free hand to Felix's hair. Felix, unaware of the correct place to put his hands, settled for placing them both on Dimitri's chest and trying not to die of embarrassment. "Sap." Dimitri could only smile and go back in for another kiss, Felix meeting him half way as he leaned up against him. He froze as he felt a familiar body against his back, his teeth clenching and his lips curling up into a snarl.

"Now that you have your main squeeze back, does that mean we won't get to have any more fun together?" Sylvain leaned in close to Felix's face, big hands on his waist. Felix stepped back enough to drive the heel of his boot into Sylvain's foot, causing him to yelp. Dimitri placed his chin on Felix's head, looking at Sylvain with an alarmingly neutral expression.

"No, Felix, please. I would love to hear more about this." Felix tried to get away, but found himself trapped between the two larger men. Sylvain, unable to pick up on how dangerous his situation was or how royally fucked he was about to be, could only smirk back at Dimitri as he leaned in closer.

"You've got your work cut out for you, your highness. Felix may like to act tough, but if you spend a good, oh, I dunno, thirty minutes teasing him? He'll do anything." His thumbs were rubbing hard, hungry circles into Felix's hips and he wished he could be anywhere but here. Dimitri hummed softly to himself, but did not stop Sylvain from continuing. "I had him tied to a bed and blindfolded, and the poor guy was --"

"That is _enough_!" Felix has bitten into his own tongue to shake himself from the combined daze and fear he was experiencing to send an elbow into Sylvain's gut as hard as he could. It knocked Sylvain back enough that Felix could swing his foot around in a wide arc, knocking Sylvain hard onto his back. Felix's nostrils flared and he looked ready to kill. Dimitri had released him during the scuffle and admired Sylvain on the ground, stepping over and looking down at his vassal with his arms folded.

"We'll have this discussion another time." Felix let out an annoyed groan and turned his glare to Dimitri.

"You are both insufferable, why the hell did I come back here?"

"You _loooooooove_ us--"

"Shut! _up_!!" Felix had been about to slam his foot down in Sylvain's face, but the bastard had rolled away before his shoe could make contact. Sylvain did the only smart thing he could think of in that moment, which was to make a speedy escape, leaving Felix alone with Dimitri. "I do not want to talk about anything he just said. I'm trying to forget it all as we speak." Dimitri sighed and shook his head, leaning against the wall of the antechamber.

"I will keep those thoughts to myself then." Felix gave a frustrated affirmative and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Were you lonely?" Felix's eyes narrowed at him.

"I already told you in those letters. You can answer that question yourself." Dimitri crooked a finger towards him, beckoning Felix to come back into his arms. Felix moved towards him without thinking, taking one of Dimitri's hands and interlocking them with his.

"Well, you are here now, and I have no intention of sending you back out any time soon." He pulled Felix back into his arms, pressing his face against his chest to feel a heartbeat that was no longer there. Felix took in Dimitri's scent: bergamot mixed with birch and sandalwood. "Do you have any plans, now that you are here?"

"Mm." Felix thought for a few moments. What did he want to do now? "Get stronger. Outside of that, I do not know." Dimitri found his hands had travelled back into Felix's hair, slipping the hair tie off and putting it on his wrist.

"No longer planning on killing me?" Felix frowned and folded his arms.

"You're off the hook until you do something that warrants you dead." Dimitri laughed and pressed a loving kiss to Felix's forehead.

"Thank you, Felix. I will be on my best behavior." Felix leaned up and kissed him gently, as opposed to his usual, more toothy methods.

"Until then, I am stuck holding your leash, boar."

"This is the second time some form of bondage has come up, and I am a little curious--" Felix immediately broke the hug and stomped off, causing Dimitri to laugh and walk after him. "Oh, don't be like that! I just want to better understand! Felix, please!" Dimitri caught up and wrapped his arms around Felix's shoulders, leaning his head on him. "Perhaps just a little something? I have been missing you so terribly, Felix." Felix put his face in his hands and groaned.

"What is there to understand."

"Well! Just a little more detail would really help me piece together exactly what fun I have been left out of." He sounded a bit embarrassed, but there was a sense of desire laced into his words. Felix tried not to go insane as he put together what he could only imagine would be the worst sentences he had ever uttered in his life.

"I enjoy … various levels of being in or out of control. How that is achieved is up to either myself or whoever is involved. That's it." It was as if Felix could feel the other man grinning at him, and he wanted to sink down into the floor and never return to the surface again.

"What do you like, though, Felix? I would love to spoil you." Felix could feel his words all the way down to the last vertebrae in his spine. He tried to make words come out of his mouth but found it growing drier by the second.

"Spoiling sounds … nice. But what I want more than that is to see the beast again." He tried to sound confident, but it made him feel small to admit he enjoyed seeing the man so deeply unhinged. Dimitri pressed a soft kiss to his neck and paused there, whispering into the skin.

"That can be arranged."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly done! The last chapter is likely going to be NSFW, then I will probably only revisit when the mood strikes. Hope y'all had fun!


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri indulges in Felix's fantasy. (NSFW)

Dimitri was way too stressed about how to do everything properly than he should have been. He had drilled Sylvain on what exactly him and Felix had done together, for research purposes, and it still left him feeling nervous. The idea of going too unhinged too fast and hurting Felix absolutely terrified him. Rapid regeneration or not, it still made him worry.

"_The first thing I did_," Sylvain had told him, looking proud as can be, "_was got the better of him in a little fight._" Dimitri didn't have much time for that, so he settled for slamming Felix up against the wall as soon as he entered his quarters and kissing him like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Dimitri had a hand holding Felix's wrists above his head, his other hand pulling up at his shirt and feeling every rippling muscle underneath. Felix melted into his touch, attempting to fight back but finding no purchase under Dimitri's grasp.

"_Once you've started making out, you gotta just tell him what to do. He'll argue, but if you put enough force behind it he'll do whatever you say. Like, I was trying to get him to take his damn pants off, and the only thing that worked was--_"

"Undress for your King. And get on the bed." Dimitri released him and Felix looked an unusual mixture of dubious and pliant. He tried to speak up, but Dimitri interrupted him. "Unless you would rather me tear them off. Do not make me ask again." Felix's hands were shaking at his side as he moved to the bed, undressing painfully slow. He slipped one boot off, then the other, resting his jacket on the chair and slipping out of his turtleneck. He looked at Dimitri as he slipped his trousers and smallclothes off in a single movement, sitting bare naked in all of his glory. Dimitri tried to keep up his authoritative demeanor.

"_Can't compliment him, he'll complain too much. From there I bound his wrists so my hands were free, and just went to town. He told me to put the blindfold on him, wasn't my idea._"

Dimitri had removed his own shoes and got onto the bed, grabbing Felix's wrists without complaint and tying them to one of his bed posts with a strong rope he had stashed just for the occasion. He had opted against the blindfold, he wanted Felix to see him like this, knew he wanted to see his King so unhinged. He also loved Felix's fledgling golden eyes too much to want to hide them. He wanted to see exactly how Felix felt in every moment of their love. Felix refused to make eye contact, so Dimitri roughly grabbed his chin and turned his face to him. "Are you ashamed? That you crave this?" Felix dared to give him a devious little smirk.

"I'm embarrassed that I get off on fucking a boar."

Dimitri's hand slipped down a few inches and pressed his grip firm on Felix's neck, his eyes widening.

"_The kinky little brat likes to be choked, too._"

"You will speak to me with respect or you will not speak at all. Is that understood?"

Tears dotted Felix's eyes as he nodded quickly, Dimitri releasing his grip. Vampires didn't need to breathe, it was purely an exercise in pain for him. Dimitri went back in for another deep kiss, his hands raking down Felix's sides. He moaned into Dimitri's mouth and bucked, begging for any kind of contact.

"_You gotta make him wait to get the best results. Otherwise he has too much sense and will just try to wrangle control back._"

As Felix moved upwards, one of Dimitri's hands pressed down hard on his hip, pinning him to the bed. Felix wriggled in his bindings, desperation mixing in with the noises he made while they kissed. He had bitten into Dimitri's lip in frustration, Dimitri responding by breaking the kiss and using his free hand to slam his head against the backboard. The tears that had welled up from before were now threatening to run down his cheeks, his neck arched backwards as Dimitri's hand remained on the upper half of his face. He licked idly at the blood from his lip, shaking his head.

"So disrespectful to your sire. To think I gave you so much power, and you use it like _this_." He used a knee to push in between Felix's legs, grinding into his erection as a broken moan came out. "Wasted." Felix's head struggled weakly against Dimitri's hand, falling back uselessly.

"Your highness …"

"Mm. Better." He removed his hand and Felix relaxed visibly, blinking away tears. Dimitri thumbed at his cheek and pulled his knee back, earning a whimper which would have been more than enough to make Dimitri dissolve into a puddle for him. But he had to stay strong. He pushed his thumb into Felix's mouth and Felix's eyes fell shut, lashes dotted with stray tears. He sucked on the digit and Dimitri nodded in approval, rewarding him by returning his knee and rubbing up against him. His hip already had a bruise growing from Dimitri's grip, but it didn't stop Felix from trying to meet him at every movement. He popped his thumb out of Felix's mouth, letting it hang by his lips. "Tell me what you want."

"I want you to fuck me." Felix said, already sounding wrecked.

Dimitri was barely holding on, it was so much to try and remain vicious and demanding and not just give him everything he wanted. Felix angled himself up slightly, presenting himself to the King. Dimitri pressed hard into the bruise now on Felix's hip, causing him to clench his teeth as pain bloomed in his expression. Dimitri's hand slipped from his hip and traveled along his thigh, lifting him up and feeling his composure drop like a ton of bricks.

There, positioned beautifully in between Felix's cheeks, was a cherry red plug. _Sylvain_.

"Your majesty, I wanted to help you." The grin on Felix's face was positively devious.

Dimitri pulled the plug out in one swift motion, Felix arching back in pain and pleasure. It left him with a satisfying pop, placing it on the nightstand beside them. It was quite large, which would allow Dimitri to get right to business without much prep at all. The image of Felix opening himself up, struggling to fit the plug into himself, going to Sylvain for help, it all made him thrum with excitement. He slipped his own trousers and smallclothes off, freeing his cock to the cool evening air. Felix looked at it with reverence, and Dimitri decided he deserved a treat. He moved himself so he was straddling Felix's shoulders, placing himself directly in front of his face. Without being told what to do, Felix leaned in and laved his tongue along the underside, pressing a few sloppy kisses before sinking down about halfway. Dimitri shuddered at the warm sensation surrounding him, gripping a hand to the back of Felix's head and bracing the other against the wall. Felix couldn't angle himself well enough to get further than halfway, but he was certainly doing everything he could.

Dimitri let out a low moan, craning Felix's neck to take more of him in. Felix gagged and pulled back as much as he was allowed, Dimitri letting him catch his breath before pushing him back along. His lid lowered as pleasure racked through his body, moving steadily in Felix's mouth. All the while, Felix sucked and slipped his tongue all along Dimitri's cock, drool traveling down his chin. Dimitri didn't want to let Felix's preparations go to waste, so he slid himself out of Felix's throat with some reluctance. Felix licked his lips, looking up at Dimitri.

"Come on, do it already." Felix teased, lust coating every syllable.

Dimitri's hand yanked hard at Felix's hair, causing him to yelp. "I will take what is mine when I want."

"Fucking tease."

Dimitri growled and gave his hair another yank, diving in for a hungry kiss and tasting himself on Felix's swollen lips. In truth, he wanted nothing more than to give Felix exactly what he wanted, and he very likely would not be able to hold out much longer from all this teasing himself. At least he had received some relief, Felix was probably dizzy with arousal at this point. Dimitri pulled back and kissed down his throat, eliciting soft noises that made him want to weep. A hand went back to place one of Felix's legs on his shoulder, turning him in a way that pulled at his bindings uncomfortably. Dimitri grabbed the bottle of oil from his nightstand and sat up, uncorking it and coating his hand. Felix looked desperate and angry, and it made Dimitri want to ravage him even more.

"If I have to wait any longer, I'm going to explode. Get on with it already." Dimitri gave him a level gaze and stopped all movement, causing Felix to wriggle against his bindings. "You're both so annoying, fuck." Dimitri pressed a slicked thumb against his entrance and he bit his lip, looking so helpless.

"Careful what you wish for." Dimitri gave himself a few pumps to coat himself in the oil, pressing the head against Felix and slamming himself in with no warning, causing Felix to let out a pained yell. Dimitri's hand held fast to the leg on his shoulder, the other pressed back on the bruised hip as he began to work to a steady rhythm. Felix was beyond words, tears streaking his cheeks as he was meeting every movement, calling out Dimitri's name. Despite the plug, he was still warm and tight around him, and it made Dimitri see stars before he had even finished. Seeing Felix, back arched, covered in angry red marks and bites across his body, breathing hard with hair plastered to his face and neck from sweat made Dimitri growl low in his chest, he wanted nothing more than to kiss and hold this man every night until he fell asleep for the rest of his days. Yet here he was, pounding into Felix as he tried to muffle his loud moans into the side of his arm.

"You are _mine_." Dimitri rasped out, as if it even needed to be said in between Felix practically screaming out his name. The hand at Felix's hip moved and squeezed the base of his member, only having to pump him a few times as he slammed into the other man's prostate for him to squeeze deathly tight around him, finishing across his chest as Felix's body fell limp. Dimitri finished soon after, Felix meeting the few ragged thrusts as best as he could. Dimitri breathed hard and heavy, going in for a sloppy kiss and sliding out of him. Felix let out a broken moan and rolled against the bindings.

"Get me out of these." Felix mumbled.

Dimitri reached up and hooked a finger between Felix's wrists and the bindings and pulled, loosening them enough for Felix's arms to fall back by his side, boneless. He massaged his wrists as he got up, a little less wobbly than the last time they did this. "I'm going to use your washroom." Dimitri nodded blearily, wanting to follow but finding himself far too exhausted to leave the comfort of his bed. Felix returned, slipping back into his smallclothes to crawl back into bed and nestle into Dimitri's arms. "Well. Aren't you going to say that was 'something' and then say something dumb and sappy?"

Dimitri couldn't help but chuckle and hold Felix close, nuzzling his face into Felix's hair. "It certainly was something. I would much rather just take care of you, though. Did you like it?"

"Yeah. It was really hot." Felix pressed a kiss to his collarbone and Dimitri could feel his teeth knock against his skin. "Next time, you're tied up. I'll make you pay for all of that teasing shit." Dimitri could only laugh, too blissed out to argue properly.

"I'm just content that there will be a next time." Felix rolled his eyes and pulled the covers over them, wincing slightly at the movement. Dimitri noticed and frowned, pulling him in closer. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"You did, that's the point." Felix looked up at Dimitri, surrounded by covers and pillows and looking concerned, the poor sap. "Why do you care, it'll heal." Dimitri let out a sigh and ran his nails gently along Felix's back.

"You're right."

"I know. Just shut up and enjoy yourself a little."

Dimitri couldn't help but crack a smile. "Are you going to address me as your King from now on? I did like that bit."

"You'll have to choke me again first, boar." Dimitri felt his face heat up and Felix laughed, a rare treat for him.

"If I have to explain to Mercedes why your windpipe was crushed and your neck was snapped, I'll wither up and die on the spot. I would never forgive myself." Felix moved closer and pushed the hair from Dimitri's face, mindlessly worrying his raw lower lip.

"You won't break me." Dimitri did not seem to believe the sentiment, leaving Felix to roll his eyes and turn the other direction. Dimitri moved in to spoon him, laying his arms around Felix's stomach.

"Would it be all right if I complimented you now? I was very explicitly told not to." Felix pinched the skin on Dimitri's arm, causing him to jump back and yelp. "What was that for?"

"For gossiping to Sylvain about the most optimal ways to fuck me."

"To be fair, Felix, you would tell me nothing. And if Sylvain hadn't told me what to do, I would have been clueless. Now can I say you're beautiful yet?" Dimitri snuggled back in rather indignantly, bracing himself for any other acts of petulance. Felix rolled back towards him and pressed a kiss to his chest.

"Fine. But don't be weird about it."

Dimitri sighed and nestled his head back into Felix's hair. "What is weird about telling you that you are beautiful? That you make my heart sing? That you make me feel whole, happy --"

"Eugh." Felix wrinkled his nose. "Okay, enough. I get it."

They spent the rest of the night and morning wrapped together, and Dimitri couldn't remember another time in his life he had ever been this happy. Feeling the ghost of Felix's smile against his body made him feel like he was drifting in the clouds. He angled Felix's face up slightly, kissing him for what he assumed was the hundredth time that evening.

"I love you." Dimitri let his eye fall shut as he spoke, running a thumb along Felix's jawline.

"You are a fool. But I … well. I love you too." A flash of teeth appeared in a smile and Dimitri was about ready to weep for this man. He pressed their noses together and grinned.

Finally, he could truly love another person. He could open his heart up to someone and spend the rest of his days with them. It only took over 400 years, but nights like this one made the wait worth it. He had an eternity to share with Felix, he saw no reason to stress over the time spent without him. It would only make the future even sweeter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okayyyy that's it!! Sorry this chap is a bit shorter, I had so much fun with this fic though and I hope you all did too!
> 
> If you liked this, come follow me at @Daniverse1 on Twitter and talk to me about it!

**Author's Note:**

> This is very self indulgent but I figure y'all will dig it! If you enjoy this come talk to me on my Twitter at @danivonfemblem !!


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